"You might recall that the welcome message said we were 'wildcards.' That message disappeared after a few days. I didn't realize it at the time, but the timing of the disappearance must have coincided with the time we were assigned card values.
Each person is assigned a rank and suit. In order to brand everyone as property of the resort, all of us were forcibly tattooed. Though, as with our kidnapping, no one can remember being tattooed: the marks simply appear on the person's skin after a few days. Someone told me about it shortly after arrival, so I went to a bathroom and checked, but I didn't have any mark when I first arrived. One appeared on my back a few days in. It was a spade mark, to show what card suit I'd been given. I have a picture of it as proof, but I'd rather not share it unless I absolutely need to in a court of law. I don't want my fans to think of some ugly tattoo when they see me, so I'd prefer for it not to get circulated.
I've seen the marks on others, too. Some appear on the person's face, while others might be on the person's chest or back. The four suits are spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds. If there's any pattern to the assignment, I haven't found out what it is yet. But out of the ES idols, Jun-kun is the only clubs, and the rest of us are "spades."
The ranks are more important. Everyone gets a rank as well as a suit, and the rank seems to determine what quality of life you'll receive. Although this is a so-called "luxury resort," if you're given a lower rank like 2, 3 or 4, you get assigned a small room and are forced to share a communal bath. But if you're given a higher rank, like 10, you get a large room with its own kitchenette, as well as other privileges like room service.
Ranks aren't determined by wealth or status. If it were, I'd be among the top ranks, but Leo-kun was given a higher rank than me and I know he doesn't come from a noble family. For now I'll just assume those are also assigned at random, though I think the system itself is very intentional. They say you can change rank by participating in Game 52, which serves as an incentive for the lower ranks. If you sleep with enough people, you can earn yourself a larger room, or so they say. It's comparable to street prostitution, I suppose.
I'm not sure where the incentive is if you're given a high rank straight from the get-go. If your rank can fall, I have yet to see proof of it. But I did speak to one girl who thinks it can, and she also thought the House's ultimate goal was to make the game harder by having everyone change ranks until they all end up "in the middle." That way, no one will be able to collect every card value, and no one will complete the game. That's something to be wary of, I suppose.
Although the system sounds awfully silly, the long-standing guests take it very seriously. You'll hear gossip about "that handsome Jack" or "the cute new 10 who just arrived." Everyone fawns over the higher ranks, just like everyone kisses up to wealthy people and celebrities in the outside world. Meanwhile, the lower ranks are sort of looked down upon, as though their placement is their own fault, which is also comparable to how things are on the outside.
This goes without saying, but I don't buy into any of this. No one can determine my value except for me. I have no intent to improve my rank, and neither does Jun-kun. But there will always be those who are desperate to climb up from the bottom. I won't judge those people harshly, either, although I do think it's sad when people take pride in their "card collecting." I assume those types weren't praised enough as children, so they're desperate for any validation they can find.
Anyway, I'll start to feel more and more disgusted if I write about Game 52 for too long, so let's move onto something else now."
RANK AND SUIT
Each person is assigned a rank and suit. In order to brand everyone as property of the resort, all of us were forcibly tattooed. Though, as with our kidnapping, no one can remember being tattooed: the marks simply appear on the person's skin after a few days. Someone told me about it shortly after arrival, so I went to a bathroom and checked, but I didn't have any mark when I first arrived. One appeared on my back a few days in. It was a spade mark, to show what card suit I'd been given. I have a picture of it as proof, but I'd rather not share it unless I absolutely need to in a court of law. I don't want my fans to think of some ugly tattoo when they see me, so I'd prefer for it not to get circulated.
I've seen the marks on others, too. Some appear on the person's face, while others might be on the person's chest or back. The four suits are spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds. If there's any pattern to the assignment, I haven't found out what it is yet. But out of the ES idols, Jun-kun is the only clubs, and the rest of us are "spades."
The ranks are more important. Everyone gets a rank as well as a suit, and the rank seems to determine what quality of life you'll receive. Although this is a so-called "luxury resort," if you're given a lower rank like 2, 3 or 4, you get assigned a small room and are forced to share a communal bath. But if you're given a higher rank, like 10, you get a large room with its own kitchenette, as well as other privileges like room service.
Ranks aren't determined by wealth or status. If it were, I'd be among the top ranks, but Leo-kun was given a higher rank than me and I know he doesn't come from a noble family. For now I'll just assume those are also assigned at random, though I think the system itself is very intentional. They say you can change rank by participating in Game 52, which serves as an incentive for the lower ranks. If you sleep with enough people, you can earn yourself a larger room, or so they say. It's comparable to street prostitution, I suppose.
I'm not sure where the incentive is if you're given a high rank straight from the get-go. If your rank can fall, I have yet to see proof of it. But I did speak to one girl who thinks it can, and she also thought the House's ultimate goal was to make the game harder by having everyone change ranks until they all end up "in the middle." That way, no one will be able to collect every card value, and no one will complete the game. That's something to be wary of, I suppose.
Although the system sounds awfully silly, the long-standing guests take it very seriously. You'll hear gossip about "that handsome Jack" or "the cute new 10 who just arrived." Everyone fawns over the higher ranks, just like everyone kisses up to wealthy people and celebrities in the outside world. Meanwhile, the lower ranks are sort of looked down upon, as though their placement is their own fault, which is also comparable to how things are on the outside.
This goes without saying, but I don't buy into any of this. No one can determine my value except for me. I have no intent to improve my rank, and neither does Jun-kun. But there will always be those who are desperate to climb up from the bottom. I won't judge those people harshly, either, although I do think it's sad when people take pride in their "card collecting." I assume those types weren't praised enough as children, so they're desperate for any validation they can find.
Anyway, I'll start to feel more and more disgusted if I write about Game 52 for too long, so let's move onto something else now."