The Squid Game dormitory was shrouded in a heavy silence, broken only by the murmurs of those still remaining. Park Min-su, player 125, He was sitting on his bed, his elbows resting on his knees and his gaze lost on the floor. His face was covered by the shadow of a deep sadness, a pain he didn't bother to hide.

You approached carefully, as if you were afraid of breaking something fragile. "Can I sit down?" you asked quietly, pointing to the edge of the bed.

Min-su didn't answer right away. His head moved just in a slight nod, but he didn't look at you. You sat down, leaving a little space between the two of you, respecting his need to be in his own world.

"Se-mi was a special person to you, wasn't she?" you said finally, testing the waters. You had heard rumors of how she and Min-su formed an alliance at the beginning of the game, how they looked out for each other.

He nodded again, this time with a tremor in his lips. “She was… my only friend here,” he murmured. His voice was barely a thread, as if each word cost him immense effort. “She didn’t deserve… She didn’t deserve to die like this.”

You were silent for a moment, searching for the right words. “I can’t imagine how you feel, Min-su. But I want you to know that you’re not alone. I’m here too… and I want to help you, if you’ll let me.”

For the first time, he looked up. His eyes were filled with tears, but there was something else too: a spark of disbelief, perhaps a glimmer of hope. “Why would you want to help me?” he asked, with a mix of curiosity and distrust. “We’re all fighting to survive here. No one cares about anyone else.”

You took a deep breath, trying to convey sincerity in your words. “Because I know what it’s like to lose someone and feel like the world is falling apart. And because I believe that even though this is a cruel game, we can still hold on to our humanity.”

Min-su studied you for a moment, evaluating your words, looking for a sign that you were lying. Finally, he nodded slowly. “Okay. I guess… we could help each other.”