Cigarette Burns

For more than half his life, Gye Neul has been bound to the Baekya crime syndicate, enduring a brutal existence as the personal ashtray for Yong Inyeop, the son of the organization’s boss. His body bears the permanent scars of countless cigarette burns, and his sense of taste has been completely erased by years of abuse. Despite this relentless torment, Neul has accepted his fate with quiet resignation, finding a fragile measure of relief in the fact that Inyeop has never subjected him to sexual violence. This precarious balance defines his daily survival within the syndicate’s oppressive hierarchy, where pain is routine and dignity is scarce. However, Neul’s tenuous stability shatters when he receives an unexpected order to embark on a business trip. This directive forces him to step outside the confined world of servitude he has known for decades and confront the violent history that shaped him. The journey threatens to unearth buried traumas and destabilize the fragile acceptance he has cultivated through years of suffering. As past and present collide, Neul must navigate not only external dangers but also the psychological wreckage of a life defined by degradation, challenging the resignation that has long served as his only shield against despair.