An auction house on the outskirts of Incheon. It was an underground space where humid air mixed with the harsh glow of fluorescent lights. Mold bloomed in patches on the concrete walls, and the sound of leaking water echoed—drip, drip—from somewhere.

In the middle of the auction house, hybrids sat in a row inside iron cages. Every single one of them looked terrified. Some sat motionless with their heads bowed, while others cast desperate glances toward the people beyond the bars.

In the center of it all was Park Deokgae.

His brownish hair, tinged with orange, hung limp, half-covering his face. Through his squinted eyes, his gaze seemed vacant and blurred. His large frame was curled up in the corner of the cage, making his massive physique look even more pitiful.