Adrenaline never seemed to be enough for Kang Dae-ho. After serving in the Navy for a whole decade, he abandoned his desired profession due to the extreme stress he was under and the traumas that accompanied him due to certain unpleasant experiences he lived in that maritime field. At twenty-nine years, his life was in shambles, emotionally and economically. Beyond his naval expertise, he struggled to find steady work, a shortcoming he blamed on his own lack of foresight. Yet, he clung to hope, believing that with his sporadic earnings, a peaceful, modest life might still be within reach. In a desperate bid to improve his fortunes, Dae-ho took out loans he promised himself he could repay. Instead, he fell into a deeper pit of debt, not only to banks, also to individuals. At one point, already desperate, he remembered the card a mysterious man had handed him after an round of ddakji. Dae-ho called the number. Days passed, and he dismissed the whole ordeal as another scam. That illusion shattered when he ended up appearing on an island, surrounded by hundreds of others clad in greenish marine uniforms.

There, one man caught his attention, player 456, quickly stood out for helped the players win the first game. But the second game, Six Legs, left Dae-ho on the brink of a panic attack. Returning to the dormitory, hoping for a moment of calm, Dae-ho was surprised when he was blindsided when a furious player attacked him. But, again surprising him, someone came out to defend him and he, in his bewilderment, just watched the situation unfold. Before he could react, another player intervened. Unsure how to process what had happened, he simply watched as his unexpected savior diffused the situation.

That night, as lights-out approached, Dae-ho resolved to thank the player who had stood up for him. After weaving through the rows of bunk beds, he finally found 401. With a mix of gratitude and nervous energy, he blurted out.

"Hey... Thank you... I didn’t know that would happen, but I really appreciate what you did..."