YU-JUN glares death at A-RA as he hobbles back toward her, defeated.
The OFFICER tosses her a first aid kit like it’s a grenade.

A-RA catches it easily, smiling sweetly — as if this wasn’t entirely her fault.

A-RA crouches down beside YU-JUN, concern creeping into her voice.
"So... are you going to tell me where you're hurt, or should I just start speculating?"

YU-JUN grumbles under his breath, tapping his foot with clear impatience.
"I was limping, wasn’t I? It's my leg."

A-RA hums thoughtfully.
"Hmm... well, if you had broken my 'speculation,' you'd still be limping, too."
She flashes him an innocent look.
"That’s why I ask. Gotta take the right course of action, you know?"

YU-JUN shoots her a glare, as if daring her to keep talking.
"It's my ankle," he mutters, beyond exasperated.

A-RA leans in, inspecting his ankle like a scientist peering through a microscope.
"Sprained it, huh? How’d you even manage that?"

YU-JUN scoffs.
"You tell me."

A-RA lifts a brow, her voice turning teasing.
"What happened to that big threat you made before we started? Hm?"
She gently presses around the injury, making him flinch.

"I should be treating myself, not you. Just how fragile are you? That wasn’t even a hard tackle!"
She sprays a cold mist over his ankle, completely ignoring his pained hiss.

"I was expecting fireworks, YU-JUN. And yet, here you are, limping like a sad puppy."
She bandages his ankle with expert precision, smiling sweetly.
"Is this relationship even going to survive with all these predictable moves?"

YU-JUN glares daggers at her, but she only tilts her head, thoughtful.

"But seriously..." A-RA muses aloud, tightening the bandage.
"If you’re supposed to be the best, and everyone’s so scared of you..."
She pauses, tapping her chin.
"What does that say about the rest of them? Or..."
Her eyes gleam mischievously.
"Did I just get really, really lucky?"

She pats his leg twice, standing up like she’s just finished changing a tire.
Clapping her hands sharply, she turns back to the room.

"Alright! Training continues! Who wants to pair up?"

Instantly, the room explodes into chaos — everyone scrambling to find a partner, desperate to avoid ending up like poor YU-JUN.

A-RA claps her hands together, beaming.
"Alright, alright, I get it! Next up—casualty evacuation scenarios!"

She spins toward the OFFICER by the door, who already looks like he’s bracing for something ridiculous.
"Bring them in!" A-RA commands, voice sharp.

The doors swing open dramatically.
A group of massive SUMO WRESTLERS shuffle into the room, each one sporting a colored tag on their arm.

The room falls into stunned silence.
Murmurs ripple through the teams like a slow-building wave.

A-RA bows politely, her smile way too bright.
"Hi guys! Thank you so much for joining us today. You’ve been briefed, right? Go ahead and take your positions!"

Without hesitation, the SUMO WRESTLERS drop to the ground—some flopping over with exaggerated groans, others striking dramatic “injured soldier” poses.

The teams just... stare.

Someone coughs awkwardly.

A-RA claps again, impatient.
"What are you waiting for? Casualties aren’t going to evacuate themselves!"
She points sharply.
"Red tags first—highest risk! Go!"

Panic erupts.
The teams rush forward, but as they lean down to inspect, realization strikes—the biggest, heaviest SUMO WRESTLERS are all sporting red tags.

A collective groan echoes around the room.

HA-JOON pants as he struggles to lift a particularly massive wrestler, barely making him budge.
"She really couldn’t find lighter casualties?" he mutters.

The SUMO WRESTLER cracks one eyelid open, giving HA-JOON a slow, judgmental look.

HA-JOON grits his teeth, still wrestling with the dead weight.
"No offense, man, but... work with me here! Act like you wanna survive, yeah?"

The wrestler, clearly enjoying himself, flops even more limply, making HA-JOON stagger backward.

HA-JOON curses under his breath as he redoubles his efforts, dragging the giant man across the floor with all the dignity of a stubborn dog owner at the park.

Around the room, it's the same story—teams grunting, sweating, nearly collapsing as they try to drag their “casualties” to safety.

Finally, with a lot of broken pride and soaked-through shirts, they get the last SUMO WRESTLER out of the room.

Everyone’s panting.
Everyone’s suffering.

Except A-RA.
She’s grinning like a proud mother hen.

Outside the glass doors, the CHIEF—a tough, no-nonsense woman in her late forties—stands watching the chaos inside with an amused smirk.

BAEK-HYUN strolls up beside her, casually leaning on the glass, eyes on the mayhem unfolding inside.
"Any casualties yet?" he asks, almost hopeful.

The CHIEF crosses her arms, not taking her eyes off the struggling teams and responds.
"One sprained ankle so far."

BAEK-HYUN arches a brow, unimpressed.
"Huh. I expected worse."

The CHIEF shrugs, still looking at the teams

"Day’s still young. Give it time. They’ll start dropping soon enough."
A beat.

She glances sideways at him.
"Smart move though."

BAEK-HYUN flashes a grin as he responds.
"If I hadn't dumped the responsibility of treating every injury onto A-RA, half that room would already be in the infirmary."

Inside, the atmosphere buzzes—half dread, half excitement—as A-RA stands at the front, clipboard in hand, flashing a dangerous little smile.

Another exercise is coming.
And no one looks ready.

The teams are lined up, tense and twitchy, throwing side-eyes at A-RA, trying to guess what fresh chaos is about to rain down.

A-RA stands at the front, smiling like she knows something they don’t. Then she goes

" Okay, for the next exercise, I want all the ladies to my right and the men to my left.!"

The teams shuffle awkwardly, whispering and peeking across the divide, nerves prickling the air.

MEMBER 1 (TEAM TWO)
(whispering to MEMBER 2)
“Seeing as she called YU-JUN back up, this next exercise can’t be that intense.”

MEMBER 2 (TEAM TWO)
(nods)
"Yeah. It’s gotta be easy."

A-RA, looking far too pleased with herself, turns to the OFFICER by the door and calls out

"Bring them in!"

The doors swing open—and a crew of men and women walk in, arms full of unmarked boxes.
The CHIEF arches an eyebrow, intrigued.

A-RA clasps her hands together, pure innocence and announces

"For this exercise: just a few push-ups, a few sit-ups...simple... injured parties just stand in line."

She tosses a pointed glance at YU-JUN, who stiffens defensively.

The murmuring intensifies.

She grins as she continues
"Let me demonstrate."

She lifts her shirt slightly, revealing her abs, and one of the delivery ladies steps forward, expertly slapping a set of small, unfamiliar sensors onto her.

A-RA then waves the delivery crew toward the teams—men tagging the male members, women tagging the female ones.

Across the line:

MEMBER 1 (TEAM TWO)
(whispering)
"What do you think these things are for?"

MEMBER 2 (TEAM TWO)
(shrugging)
"Maybe they're to count our reps? Or, like, heart monitors?"

MEMBER 1 (TEAM TWO)
(darkly)
"Nah, it’s to measure how close we get to death. She’s gonna run us into the ground."

MEMBER 2 (TEAM TWO)
(grinning)
"Good thing we're beasts, right? Let's see what she's got."

A-RA beams, waving the delivery crew off with a cheerful thank you.
She strolls back to the front and taps a button—
—A large screen blinks to life.

And whatever’s about to happen... it's definitely not just "push-ups and sit-ups."

A-RA leans casually against the table, looking entirely too relaxed.
(deadpan)
"What you’re wearing is a period pain simulator."

For a split second, the room freezes—
—and then the whispers explode into full-blown panic.

A-RA nodding like she’s explaining the weather, continues,
"Why, you ask? Let me give you a few reasons."

She strolls along the front of the room, letting the suspense build.
"First, to give you all the VIP experience of what it's like to be a woman once a month."

She pauses dramatically, letting that sink in.
(more serious now)
"Second—and more importantly—to see how well you can perform while distracted by pain."

She lifts a remote and points to the massive screen.

 playfully adds
" This should be easy for most of you. I mean, it’s not like it comes close to being shot or stabbed in the middle of an operation, right?!"

The teams look around nervously, the murmuring louder now. Unknown to them, A-RA had set the men up with Labor pain simulators and the women with period pain simulators.

She then continues sweetly
"Now, remember—detach the device and we start the exercises from the top."

She flashes a mischievous smile.
"Ladies, you can tap out whenever you want. Why? Because life already makes sure you live through this every month. Fair’s fair."

She leans closer, voice dropping to a faux-whisper:
"And we don’t stop until the last woman taps out."

The men start to sweat visibly.

 beaming she continues
"Oh, and in case anyone forgot... I’m a woman too."
(cheerfully)
"I’m very motivated to stretch this little experience out for you guys."

More anxious murmuring.
She shrugs, all innocence.

 (teasing)
"I know, I know... I probably shouldn’t have said that last part out loud. But I believe in being an honest instructor."

Without further warning, A-RA presses a button.
The devices buzz to life.

Level One.

Immediately, half the men stiffen in pain, gasping.
The women? Barely a blink.

A-RA claps her hands
"Push-ups! Ten! Let’s go! Ready? Move!"

The teams drop to the floor, struggling to start.
The men groan through clenched teeth.

A-RA, watching with a gleam in her eye, cranks the dial to Level Four without a word.

The men wince hard, arms trembling.

A-RA barks
"A bullet won't give you a warning! Keep moving!"

HA-JOON is already soaked with sweat, face pale goes,

"I have a new respect for women... This is only level four?! How do you even show up to work like this?!"

Nearby, MIN-JUN is barely holding it together.Gritting his teeth while adressing DO-YUN,he goes.

"Look at your wife. She’s not even flinching."

DO-YUN glances over—
His wife knocks out push-ups like it’s a Sunday stroll, face calm, utterly unfazed.

He looks back at MIN-JUN, sheer dread in his eyes.

Across the room, the CHIEF watches, arms folded, grinning. Cheerfully she turns to BAEK-HYUN

"Would you like to join them, Baek-Hyun?"

BAEK-HYUN laughs nervously, taking a very deliberate step back.

"Nope. Not today. I’m good just observing."

CHIEF
(raising an eyebrow)
"You used to train with the teams. Funny how that stopped when your niece joined."

BAEK-HYUN avoids eye contact, backing toward the exit. He mutters

“And from what I’ve seen so far, you can understand why. Imagine If I start crying in front of her, she’ll lose all respect for me. I... I have some paperwork to do, I’ll get to it.”

And he bolts, leaving the CHIEF chuckling.

Back in the pit—

Without warning, A-RA dials the simulators up to Level Seven.

The men collapse, writhing, gasping for air.
The women? Barely a ripple.

The men stare at them in wide-eyed horror, pure disbelief written on their faces.

HA-JOON panting, red-faced, wincing with every breath asks,
“Are... you absolutely sure... you turned the ladies' devices on?”

A-RA grinning sweetly, responds.

“Oh, their devices are tweaked to put out more pain. This is something they’re used to. As you can see, their devices are slightly different than yours. Would you like to swap?”

MEN
in terrified unison
NOOO!

A-RA smiling like a patient teacher, lectures.
“This, gentlemen, is the life of a woman —at war, at work, every month.
They say, “Die like a man.”
I say, “Try living like a woman.”

Across the room, DO-YUN’s wife looks down at him — crumpled, shaking —
and mouths two words: Very unattractive.
DO-YUN, desperate, tries to straighten up...
only to crumple again.

Nearby, YU-JUN wobbles dangerously on his crutches,
MIN-JUN’s face is ghost-pale, ready to topple.

A-RA continues brightly, like she’s just remembered something fun
“Oh! I almost forgot —if a man cries or faints during this exercise…
the entire male squad gets to do daily exercises with simulators on.
One man, one day.
Ten men, ten days.
Simple math, right?
Up!”

The men scramble, trying to stay vertical,
but the pain keeps hammering. Without mercy,
A-RA cranks the dial up to level nine—
and then ten—seconds apart.

The room explodes in chaos.
Men collapse like falling trees, groaning, gasping, clutching at the floor.

A-RA with a long, disappointed sigh,
“Alright, alright...Clearly, we’re not getting anywhere today. Detach the devices.”

The men rip the devices off so fast they almost tear their own shirts,
some sobbing quietly,
most curled up on the ground in foetal positions.

DO-YUN’S WIFE stands over her husband.
He looks up at her, panicked —
then bolts upright, puffing out his chest, trying to look heroic.

She stares at him, unimpressed.
Turns.
And walks away.

DO-YUN
weakly, chasing after her
“Hon...ey?”

A-RA signals to the OFFICER.
The team that brought in the devices marches back into the room,
collecting the aftermath.

A-RA cheerily, as if she’s announcing a picnic
“Eat a proper lunch.
We’re going swimming this afternoon.”

Without another word, she exits with the OFFICER,
leaving chaos behind her.

MEMBER 1, TEAM TWO still sprawled on the floor, voice shaking
“I was... two breaths away from blacking out...Thank God it’s over...”

MEMBER 2, TEAM TWO
groaning
“She’s probably planning to drown us next.”

The women file out for lunch,
chatting casually, unfazed.
The men?
Still scattered across the floor —
slowly, painfully peeling themselves off the ground
one broken soul at a time.