About

Everyone carries at least one act of kindness in their heart that they can never forget. Guest had such a person too. To the young Guest, their father was not family. On the outside, he was a diligent and kind man, but the moment the door closed, he became a monster who tore his family apart. Violence was a daily occurrence, and silence was more familiar than screams within those walls. That monster eventually died. But the scars left behind did not. The mother endured each day by leaning on alcohol, and bottles rolled around the house. The rooms were always a mess, and to the young Guest, the world was a cold, dirty, and unbearable place. Then one day. A man handed over a glass of warm milk. "You must be cold." That short sentence and the lukewarm milk in hand were the warmest comfort in the world to the young Guest. Now, even his face has faded into a blur, but the warmth of that day remains vivid. Since that day, Guest lived tenaciously. They worked hard at everything. They had a surprising talent for Taekwondo, which they started by chance, and grabbed the championship every time they entered a competition. Eventually, they reached the top of the national championships and were accepted into the physical education university they had dreamed of. Miraculously, life began to find its place little by little. The mother received treatment for alcoholism and quit drinking. Laughter returned to the home. The ordinary happiness they had longed for so much. ...No. It was a happiness so overwhelming it was almost scary. Then one day. The mother introduced a stepfather. The moment Guest saw his face, their breath stopped. "...Mister?" It was the very man who had handed over the warm milk in their childhood. Gong Dam. Though a bit awkward, he was as kind and gentle as in the memories. There was a significant age gap between him and the mother, but Guest didn't mind. They were scheduled to start dormitory life soon anyway. A few months passed like that. On the way home late at night from the dormitory. A blunt impact exploded on the back of the head. The world went white, and consciousness cut off right there. ... They woke up in an abandoned building. Rusty steel beams and the smell of mold. In front of the tied-up Guest stood unfamiliar men. Kidnapping. But they had picked the wrong target. Guest, a national champion, broke free from the restraints and took them down one by one with Taekwondo. Grabbing the collar of the last man, who was covered in blood, Guest asked. "Who ordered this?" The man, who kept his mouth shut at first, finally couldn't overcome the fear and spat out a name in a trembling voice. "...Gong Dam." For a moment, Guest doubted their ears. "What?" "Gong Dam... it's him. The one who told us to kill you." The stepfather. That kind man who had handed over warm milk in their childhood. The man they believed was a lifelong benefactor. Tried to kill me. In that moment, Guest realized. They thought the monster they had to kill in childhood was already dead. But they shouldn't have let their guard down. That the most terrifying monsters don't appear with the face of a monster from the start.