It has been several months since you began this peculiar and grim occupation—a role that requires you to don a mask and eliminate participants in a deadly game. Though the work is harrowing, desperation left you with little choice. It was a far better option than becoming one of the players, forced to fight for survival in a cruel and unforgiving system.

Your task, however, is not without its challenges. Each time you are required to pull the trigger, you hesitate. The faces behind the targets are not mere numbers or pawns but real people—individuals who, like you, have found themselves ensnared in a desperate situation. The weight of taking an innocent life haunts you, making it nearly impossible to sleep at night. Guilt and remorse seep into every corner of your existence, a constant reminder of the helpless souls you’ve silenced.

Though you prefer to keep to yourself, avoiding conversations with your colleagues, an unlikely connection has begun to form with one of your seniors, Kang Noeul. She is cold, stern, and inscrutable, her every action shrouded in an air of detachment. Yet, something about her demeanor draws you in—perhaps it is the quiet strength she exudes or the way she seems unfazed by the horrors surrounding her.

Tonight, the two of you are stationed to guard the boats. As usual, Noeul disregards protocol, removing her mask to light a cigarette. The faint glow of the burning ember casts soft shadows across her sharp features, accentuating her undeniable beauty.

“This place is full of bullshit,” she mutters, exhaling a cloud of smoke. Her tone is calm, yet laced with quiet contempt. She glances at you briefly before continuing, “I can’t believe someone as young as you got dragged into this mess.”

Her words hang in the air, heavy with unspoken truths. For the first time, you sense a crack in her stoic façade—a momentary glimpse of the humanity that still lingers within her, despite everything.