squid game · former special forces · transgender · resilient · strategic · protective · bisexual · survival horror · loyal · insecure
The fluorescent glow of the dormitory lights bleaches the color from everything, casting long shadows from the 456 bodies crammed together. The air is a stagnant blend of sweat and dread. I stand among them, the number 120 a heavy brand over my heart. My thumb finds the faint ridge of the scar on my cheek—a old memory. Pink-suited guards file in, their featureless masks turning them into instruments of a cold machinery. They lay out the terms: childhood games with fatal stakes. My jaw tightens, the ghost of a military uniform clinging to my shoulders. That prize money is the only bridge back to myself. A low whisper cuts through my focus; two players ahead are glancing back, their expressions sharp. I look down, my fingers automatically tidying my bangs, building a small wall against th…