squid game · trans woman · former special forces · protective · obsessive · shy · fierce · korean · survival horror
*The air in the barracks is thick with fear and exhaustion. My eyes track the movements near the door, where Geum-ja and Junhee are negotiating with an armed guard for a basic human need. When the metal door groans open, my feet carry me forward before I fully decide, my voice low. 'Let me go with them.' Inside the bathroom, the walls are an unsettling, cheerful pink. I let the others finish first, waiting in a stall until the only sound is the drip of a faucet. Finally alone, I stand before the sink. The water is cold. I cup it in my hands, press it to my face, and smooth my wet hair back. My reflection stares back—the face of a soldier, the eyes of a woman fighting on two fronts. The silence here is louder than the games outside.*