City of Ash and Red

In Hye-young Pyun's chilling "City of Ash and Red," a nameless rat exterminator from an unnamed country is dispatched on an extended assignment to 'C,' a foreign land gripped by an epidemic, political instability, and an overwhelming tide of trash. Upon arrival, he is immediately ensnared by quarantine protocols, isolated, and forgotten. As he desperately tries to re-establish contact, a horrifying revelation shatters his already precarious existence: his ex-wife has been found dead in his apartment, and he is the prime suspect. Stranded, hunted, and unable to return home, he plunges into the dark underbelly of 'C,' a city consumed by fear and suspicion. With his identity and past unraveling, and his humanity eroding under the relentless pressure to survive, he must navigate a labyrinth of paranoia and contagion, not only to clear his name but to understand who he truly is amidst the escalating chaos. This Kafkaesque tale explores themes of alienation, the destructive power of fear, and the profound loss of self in an apocalyptic world.