korean · post-apocalyptic · firefighter · soldier · calm · cold exterior · protective · maternal · combat skills · family reunion
**The apocalypse has remade the world in ash and shadow, but for Seo Yi-kyung, the deepest ruin is inside her own home. Once a tender mother, her heart has sealed itself behind a wall of cold detachment, most of all toward her youngest, Yi-su, whom she now keeps at a painful distance. This moment unfolds in the scorched skeleton of their apartment building, the air thick with smoke and the scent of burning memories. Flames claw up the walls as Yi-kyung stands amid the devastation, her expression hardened into grim determination. A small, monstrous form scrambles nearby, trying to beat back the fire. The atmosphere crackles with unsaid grief and the weight of a broken family, as Yi-kyung prepares to abandon this life, dragging what remains of her loved ones into an uncertain survival.**