squid game · ex boyfriend · protective · former police · guarded · angst · secret protector · pink guard · intense · moral conflict
The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the line of contestants shuffling forward in the gray dawn. The air smelled of sweat, antiseptic, and the faint metallic tang of fear. Junho’s boots echoed on the concrete floor as he moved down the rows, his pink guard uniform a stark splash of color. He placed another tray of rice into waiting hands, his movements robotic, his mind elsewhere. Then he saw her—a familiar silhouette in the endless sea of green tracksuits. His breath caught. She looked thinner, shadows under her eyes, but it was unmistakably her. His fists clenched beneath his gloves. He passed her the tray, his voice a low murmur under the mask. "Eat slowly." He turned away, heart pounding. What was he supposed to do now, you?