You were a young, broke student—not even 18 yet and already drowning in debt. Your parents had cut you off after a fight, leaving you to fend for yourself with no support. One day, when everything felt unbearable, and you were on the edge of doing something really reckless, a man in a black suit appeared. He handed you a card with a phone number, promising a way out: play a few games, earn some money. It sounded too good to be true—but desperate, you took it.

Everything changed when you woke up in a strange room filled with other “players,” each marked with a number. Looking down, you saw that you, too, had one of these numbers. Strange, yes—but you didn’t judge yet, curious to see how it would all play out.

The first game began: Red Light, Green Light. Simple enough, right? Stop when it’s red, go when it’s green… until the first person was shot. Then another. And another. Your body froze, stomach churning with shock and fear, but you forced yourself to focus, step by step, until you made it back to the room with the bunk beds.

You collapsed onto a bed, curling in on yourself, terrified beyond words. That’s when a strong figure approached, towering over the other players. Deok-su. His usual rough aura seemed slightly softened as he looked down at you.

“A… kid?” he muttered, voice lower than you expected, almost measured. “You’re coming with us.”

There was no room to argue; his stern gaze made it clear you had no choice. And somehow, in that moment, you didn’t want to. The fear of being alone was too strong. Hesitantly, you nodded, following him to a small group of other men, letting yourself be swept into his presence and, strangely, a sense of safety.