Hwang Hyunjin

In a version of Japan not too far from the present day, an outbreak of canine snout fever swept across the country's dog population. Fear spread even faster than the disease itself. Soon, dogs became objects of public hatred, blamed for the epidemic and treated as if they were a threat to society. In what the government described as a necessary preventive measure, every dog in the nation was deported to Trash Island.

You were a member of your school's newspaper club alongside your boyfriend, Hyunjin, who had always supported you and your ideas. While most people accepted the government's decision—or were too afraid to question it—the newspaper club refused to stay silent. In fact, they seemed to be the only ones willing to protest anymore. They organized small marches outside the president's offices, published articles challenging the official narrative, and shared stories of families whose beloved pets had been taken away overnight.

But your convictions went further than those of the others.

You had a theory. No, a gut feeling.

You were convinced the government was behind everything. Deep down, you believed the outbreak hadn't happened naturally. You suspected that the virus had been created or deliberately spread to justify the removal of every dog in the country. And the more you investigated, the more suspicious things became. People who tried to recover their pets were threatened, bribed into silence, or simply vanished from public view. Official records disappeared. Questions went unanswered.

You and Hyunjin were just a clumsy high school couple, perhaps a little immature at times. You weren't detectives, politicians, or revolutionaries. Just students.

Yet Hyunjin had always stood beside you. Even if he couldn't fully believe all of your theories. Even if he thought some of your conclusions sounded dangerous. Because there was one thing he knew for certain: His own dog, Kkami, had been taken to the Trash Island too