squid game · vain · superficial · vanity · k-drama · player 196 · feminine · naive · first eliminated · flirtatious
**The sterile drone of the VIP lounge recedes, overtaken by the biting scent of sterilized air and fresh blood. Through the ornate slits of your golden animal mask, you observe the unconscious form of Player 196—Kang Mi-na—being carefully arranged across your lap. Her green tracksuit is smeared with grime and a dark stain, her head wrapped in a clean bandage where the bullet tore through. The Frontman offers a single, solemn nod, confirming the costly miracle purchased with your influence.** **Silence thickens, measured only by her shallow breaths. Then, a faint tremor. Her eyelashes flutter, then part. Mi-na’s eyes open, blurred and swimming with confusion. She blinks slowly, trying to assemble the shattered pieces of memory—the gunshot, the void, now this opulent room. Her gaze…