Ken Taehyun. Half-Korean, half-Japanese. His real name was never Lee Taehyun.
His true name had always been Ken Taehyun, son of a former Yakuza strategist and one of the most trusted operatives under Kenji Saito, the right-hand man to Iwao, Seri's infamous gangster uncle in Japan.
Raised between two identities, trained in both strategy and charm, Ken knew how to blend in where he needed — how to smile like a gentleman, but move like a ghost. His mission wasn't just surveillance. It was protection — of Seri.
The world knew him as the charming new director sent from Hyunmyeong Holdings. But only a few — very few — knew the truth behind the mask.
SERI
(in disbelief)
"So it wasn't Uncle Iwao who sent him?"
KENJI
(firm)
"No. I asked him personally. I wanted someone I could trust… someone who wouldn't let you fall. He was supposed to stay far away — just observe. But…"
(He glances knowingly at Taehyun)
KENJI (cont'd)
"It was his choice to jump in, act like a charming executive, and get close to Kang Junho."
SERI
(stunned)
"Why would you take that risk?"
TAEHYUN (Ken)
(smirking slightly, avoiding her eyes)
"Let's just say… I didn't want to stand back and watch you slip."
The hidden chamber buzzes with stillness. Old weapons line the walls, alongside maps, encrypted files, and scattered evidence boards. Kenji Saito rises from his seat and wipes the dust off an old blade mounted beside him.
KENJI
(low, steady)
"There's a part of this mission you were never told, Seri. A thread connecting you, Junho… and that day."
Seri remains quiet, unreadable, but her jaw tenses.
KENJI
"The bakery explosion… wasn't random. It was a retaliation between syndicates. But it went wrong. It wasn't meant to take civilian lives… especially not your parents."
A flicker of emotion crosses Seri's face.
KENJI
"But while the city was in chaos, and you were pulled from the ruins… he was somewhere else."
(beat)
"Kang Junho wasn't there. He was at Seoul Medical, crying beside his mother's body… she'd passed away from illness that morning."
Seri's breath catches slightly.
KENJI
"That's where Iwao found him. Not a scratch on him, but completely broken. And while the world saw a grieving boy… Iwao saw something else."
Taehyun — no, Ken — watches quietly from the side.
KENJI
(low, deliberate)
"Iwao didn't just find him, Seri. He saw something. Something impossible."
Seri stiffens slightly, her eyes narrowing.
KENJI
"At the hospital… Junho wasn't just grieving. He was being forced. A man — unidentified — made him place his hand on a little girl's head. Told him to 'erase it.'"
(beat)
"And he did. Just like that… the girl forgot who she was. What she saw. Everything."
Seri's lips part in disbelief, but she doesn't speak.
KENJI
"That girl… seemed to know Junho. There was something between them. But the moment was gone. Her memories — wiped."
(beat)
"Iwao saw it. He never approached then. Just watched. Tracked that boy for years, from a distance. But the bakery explosion kept him busy. Too much mess. Too many moving parts."
(beat)
"And so, he turned to you."
KENJI
(quietly, firmly)
"You were always meant to finish what he started. Because Junho won't let anyone in. Not Daejin. Not Hanna. Not Iwao."
(beat)
"But you… he lets you closer than you think."
A pause. Kenji looks over to Taehyun — Ken — then back to Seri.
KENJI
"This mission was never about manipulation. It's about unlocking something he buried so deep… even he doesn't know it's there."
SERI
(shocked, voice trembling)
"Wait… how would you even know I was the one who could change that?"
Kenji pauses. Looks at her with something between pride and sorrow.
Kenji steps forward. His voice drops slightly, as if revealing a secret that should never be said aloud.
KENJI
(staring at her)
"…Because he can't read you right now, can he?"
SERI
(startled)
"What…?"
TAEHYUN
(eyes wide)
"Wait—what do you mean by that? Junho can't use his ability on Seri?"
Kenji's lips curve into a knowing smile. He glances between them both before slowly nodding.
KENJI
"That's exactly what I mean."
SERI
(in disbelief)
"Why? How?"
KENJI
(smirking gently)
"You think we only trained your body, Im Seri?"
(beat)
"You weren't just prepared for combat. You were built to endure anything — physically and mentally."
He pauses, taking a step closer to a nearby shelf, brushing his hand over an old emblem carved into its edge — a swirling symbol resembling wind and stone.
KENJI
"Your training at Cloudspire Monastery… it wasn't just for protection."
(beat)
FLASHBACK TO:
EXT. CLOUDSPIRE MONASTERY – DAY – 15 YEARS AGO
A blanket of clouds swirls around the jagged cliffs. The sacred path, carved into stone by centuries of seekers, stretches steeply into the sky.
A small figure climbs — 10-year-old Im Seri, barely taller than the pack she carries. Her knees are scraped, her lips cracked. But she doesn't stop.
INT. CLOUDSPIRE MONASTERY – TRAINING HALL – NIGHT
Lit only by candlelight, Seri kneels on a cold stone floor. Her hands tremble. Her eyes scan the rows of etched glyphs around her — symbols of focus, endurance, detachment.
An elder monk speaks with calm gravity:
ELDER MONK
(gently)
"Power is not strength. Strength is when your heart cannot be shaken — even by memory."
He taps two fingers to her temple.
ELDER MONK (CONT'D)
"If the mind breaks… it becomes readable."
Seri breathes slowly. Her eyes flutter shut. And in that silence, she begins the first of the Nine Trials — to empty her mind and shield her memories from even the unseen.
The air hangs thick with truth. Seri sits quietly, her gaze fixed on nothing — but her mind racing, calculating. Taehyun watches her, confused but starting to piece things together.
Suddenly, Seri speaks — voice low, measured.
SERI
(quietly, without looking up)
"He tried… more than once."
Taehyun blinks, startled.
SERI (CONT'D)
"He can't read me."
A heavy silence falls.
KENJI
(turning to Taehyun, quietly impressed)
"She's right."
Kenji steps forward, dusting his sleeves, voice steady.
KENJI (CONT'D)
"Because she's different."
Taehyun's confusion deepens.
KENJI (CONT'D)
"Not just trained. Not just strong. Something more."
(beat)
"Something even Kang Junho's gift can't reach."
Seri finally looks up, eyes hard, unreadable. A quiet storm brews behind her calm.
INT. JUNHO'S BEDROOM – NIGHT
The room is dim, bathed in low amber light from a sleek night lamp on the bedside table. Shadows stretch along the minimalist decor. The city outside his wide windows glows silently — Seoul never sleeps, but tonight, Junho does not rest either.
He's in his bedroom, dressed in navy pajamas. No robe. Just stillness.
He sits at the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, staring blankly at the floor.
On the dresser nearby — a simple, worn picture frame. Not digital. Not glossy. It's old. A print photo.
The frame catches his eye.
He slowly gets up, walks over, and picks it up.
A photo of four people:
• Little Junho, around age 7, smiling — missing a tooth.
• A little girl, clinging to his arm with a matching laugh — young Hanna.
• A man standing behind them — tall, in a long coat. His father. Face turned slightly, but unmistakably gentle.
• A woman beside him, crouched with the children. Graceful. Serene. Hanna's mother.
They look like a perfect family in that captured moment — but the adults aren't holding hands. There are no rings. Just closeness, unspoken and unlabelled.
Junho studies the photo… but his gaze falls only on the smiles. Forced? Or real?
He sets the frame down carefully, like it might shatter from the truth.
A beat.
He walks back to the bed and sits again. The silence folds in. Tight.
Junho closes his eyes.
He shuts his eyes.
But her face appears.
Im Seri.
That unreadable gaze.
That tight-lipped smile.
That fire in her voice when she said:
SERI (V.O.)
"I don't need a drink to feel better. Especially not from someone who thinks I'm just a 'typical employee.'"
Junho opens his eyes. Blinks hard.
No.
No — it's just guilt. That's what this is.
He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated.
JUNHO (to himself, softly)
"I'm not falling for her."
(beat)
"I just… said the wrong thing."
But then…
His mind flashes.
A memory — Seri turning away during the meeting, not even looking at him.
And next — the image of her walking beside Taehyun after the talk show. Taehyun's hand on the car door. Seri stepping in without hesitation.
His jaw clenches.
Jealousy? No. No. That's not what this is.
JUNHO (low, defensive)
"It's… just guilt. That's all."
But his expression betrays him.
His hand drops to his lap. He stares blankly at the ceiling.
The silence stretches again. But now, it's crowded — with her voice, her absence… and his own denial.
His phone vibrates on the nightstand.
HANNA [text message]
Sleep already?
He sighs, types:
JUNHO
About to.
He's about to put the phone down when—
HANNA [text message]
Just… don't think too much.
Not everything is worth ruining your peace for.
Junho reads it.
The message lingers longer than it should.
He shifts in bed. Looks to the side, as if her words might loosen the knot inside his chest.
But it's too late.
The thoughts are already there.
The image of Seri — quiet, firm, unbothered… walking away with Taehyun.
His fingers hover over the keyboard.
Another text buzzes in before he replies.
HANNA [text message]
I'm glad you accepted my offer.
Thank you for doing the interview.
(beat)
I hope the favors… don't stop there.
Junho stares at it.
His thumb lingers above the screen.
He doesn't respond.
Not yet.
Instead, he locks the phone. Sets it down.
Leans back again.
The shadows in the room feel heavier.
Because the truth is—
There's only one person he wants to talk to right now.
And it's not the woman he's known for two decades.