EXT. HAN RIVER — NIGHT
The tteokbokki wrappers are long tossed, the meal done.
Now, Seri and Junho stand side by side at the edge of the river. The city lights shimmer in the water. It's quiet — only the soft breeze and the distant hum of traffic fill the space between them.
Seri hugs her arms, not from cold — just habit. Her gaze is fixed ahead, watching the dark current drift by.
Junho stands a step beside her, hands in his coat pockets. He glances sideways at her, unsure whether to speak or let the silence linger.
SERI
(soft, casual)
"I think you'll often be in the chasing game."
Junho slowly shifts his gaze to her. She's not teasing. Her voice is low — more like a soft caution than anything else.
SERI
(glancing at him)
"You need to take care of yourself. Don't go near any 'geng' who ask to meet… not even if they offer tea."
Junho lets out a quiet scoff through his nose, setting down his drink.
JUNHO
(teasing)
"And check under my bumper too, huh?"
Seri gives him a short glance, then shrugs, unfazed.
Seri gives him a short glance, then shrugs — unfazed. A small smile forms on her lips, brief and subtle.
Junho takes a breath, his fingers tapping lightly on the can of Coke. Then—
JUNHO
(quietly)
"So… you already knew, didn't you?
About my ability."
Seri doesn't turn to him. She just blinks, slowly, her eyes still locked on the water.
JUNHO
(sighs quietly)
"It's strange. Ever since you showed up, things have been… different."
She tilts her head slightly, acknowledging the shift in tone.
JUNHO
"I couldn't read you. Not even once.
It was like standing in front of a wall I didn't even know existed.
And somehow… I kept circling it, hoping to find a door."
He lets out a soft, half-laugh — a little bitter, a little amazed.
JUNHO
"You walked into my life, and everything got complicated.
And yet… you're the only part that feels like it makes sense."
Finally, Seri turns her head slightly. Her expression unreadable, but her eyes are softer now.
She doesn't say anything — not yet.
But now — Junho turns fully toward her. The city lights cast a silver glow across her face. She doesn't flinch, doesn't blink. Just waits.
JUNHO
(quiet, but firm)
"Who are you… really?"
(pause)
"Why are you here? Why protect me? Why keep pulling me back—"
He stops.
The words get stuck in his throat.
His eyes search her face — her stillness, her calm, her pink lips that haven't spoken the truth yet.
Her bangs move slightly in the breeze, her gaze unreadable.
So pretty. So quiet.
Yet she could crush a man with one step — he's seen it.
Junho's jaw clenches slightly, like he's trying to hold himself back. But his voice betrays him.
JUNHO
(softer now, vulnerable)
"…And why do you keep making me feel like this?"
A beat.
He doesn't say what "this" is.
But it's all in the way he looks at her — eyes heavy, breath uneven.
Seri just looks at him.
Silent.
But something flickers in her gaze — like her walls cracking.
Seri doesn't speak.
But her eyes say everything — a storm beneath still water.
IN HER HEART — SERI (V.O.)
"I was on a mission to use you, Mr. Park…
Please… don't fall for me."
She doesn't blink.
Doesn't move.
But Junho can feel the weight of her silence. It's screaming.
He doesn't press her.
He can't.
Maybe she's still startled. Still wrapping her head around his power.
So he continues… quietly, steadily… as if confessing a sin.
JUNHO
(low, honest)
"I didn't keep this power because I wanted to help people."
(pause)
"I kept it… because I was afraid."
(beat)
"Afraid they'd treat me like a monster. Afraid they'd use me… twist it."
His voice cracks, just barely.
JUNHO
"I told myself it was safer to hide it. To use it only when I needed to. Quietly. For my own sake."
(glancing away)
"To stay useful. In control. Unseen."
He finally looks back at her.
JUNHO
"…But then you came."
(pause — his voice gentler, thoughtful)
JUNHO
"I tried using my ability on you."
(beat)
"Again. And again. But nothing worked."
(smiles faintly)
"It was like… you short-circuited everything in me."
He lets out a small chuckle — not cold, but intrigued. Warm.
JUNHO
"I've never met anyone like that. It's like… you cursed me or something."
(he turns, eyes meeting hers)
JUNHO
"Maybe not a curse, though."
(smirks)
"Maybe a spell. Some kind of… inconvenient care."
(beat — his smile fades slightly, voice softening)
JUNHO
"…Or worse. A little too close to love."
SERI
(cutting in, almost too quickly)
"You have to stop with that nonsensical talk, Mr. Park."
(she looks away, forcing a small laugh)
SERI
"You don't feel anything. You're just… annoyed.
Maybe I've been messing up your days so much, you can't get me out of your head. That's not emotion. That's irritation."
(she shrugs, brushing invisible dust off her hoodie)
"That's me. The chaos in your perfect little schedule."
(she tries to walk past him — casual, like it's nothing)
Seri turns to walk away, trying to escape the weight of his gaze…
But Junho gently catches her wrist — not forceful, just enough to make her stop.
JUNHO
(quiet, sincere)
"Please… don't take another step back from me. Not this time."
Seri freezes.
Her heart pounds.
What is he going to say now?
She doesn't turn—yet.
JUNHO
(voice heavy)
"I can't take off these glasses to read you…
And without that, I don't know what you truly feel.
About me.
If you think I'm a monster… a demon… or just someone dangerous?
(beat)
"Just tell me. If that's how you see me…
Then maybe I can finally stop looking for you."
The wind carried his words between them.
Seri stood still, her eyes slowly dropping to their hands — to the way his warmth wrapped around hers, trembling.
She looked back up at him.
SERI
(calmly, without blinking)
"I never thought you were different."
Junho's breath hitched.
A silence fell — thick and raw.
Then slowly… he let go of her hand.
But neither of them moved.
SERI
(softly, steady)
"I think you're just like any other man still breathing in this world, Mr. Park. There's nothing wrong with you."
Junho's lashes flutter slightly, eyes uncertain — trying to believe her, but not quite able to.
She takes a breath and continues, slower this time — like each word carries weight she's been holding too long.
SERI
"Your power…
It's not a curse.
It's not your fault.
It's part of you — and that makes it… your beauty."
His throat moves. Her words hit deeper than he expected.
She steps just a little closer, gaze unwavering.
SERI
"I wasn't afraid of you…
Not when I've already stared down the ugliest parts of this world.
Greed. Betrayal.
People who smile while stabbing you in the back.
People who trade lives like coins.
That's fear."
(beat)
"But you?"
(she shrugs slightly)
"You just read memories."
Her tone is neutral — but her eyes soften.
SERI
(quiet, genuine)
"Honestly…
I think you're kind of amazing, Mr. Park."
Junho freezes. His breath catches, just slightly.
She doesn't say it like a compliment.
She says it like a truth — simple, quiet… and heavy with meaning.
His hand, still halfway letting go of hers, trembles a little.
Eyes locked on her.
No one's ever said that to him — not like this.
Not after knowing what he can do.
Not after seeing him vulnerable.
For the first time in a long time,
Kang Junho feels seen.
His heart stirs — not in chaos,
But in something terrifyingly close to warmth.
He doesn't smile.
He just stares, stunned and still…
Flattered in the quietest way possible.
And deep, deep inside —
He's happy.
SERI
(soft, steady)
"But… let's keep this between us.
Strictly professional, Mr. Park.
Director and employee . That's all."
She offers a small, almost apologetic smile — not cold, but careful.
Then tilts her head up, eyes glancing toward the night sky.
Stars barely shimmer behind the thin clouds.
JUNHO
(softly)
"Wait… let me take you home."
SERI
(turns slightly, smiling faintly)
"No need, Mr. Park.
I could use the walk after stuffing myself with all that tteokbokki."
(smirks)
"Walking helps digestion, you know?"
She turns and walks away, leaving Junho staring at her back.
He exhales, eyes locked on her silhouette disappearing under the streetlight.
In his mind:
"The Director and employee ? Is that really all I am to you huh ?"
EXT. STREET NEAR HAN RIVER – NIGHT
Seri walks slowly under the streetlights, her hands tucked into her hoodie.
Each step feels heavier than the last.
The director and the employee…
That's safer, right?
That's the only way this doesn't end in disaster.
But her mind loops back to his voice:
"This time, don't step back from me."
She pauses. Just for a breath.
You're not supposed to say things like that, Mr. Park…
She closes her eyes. Takes a deep breath.
SERI
(quiet, almost a whisper)
"…I was sent to keep you in line.
Not to lose myself along the way."
She walks on again — faster now. Leaving him. Leaving herself.
EXT. SIDEWALK NEAR HAN RIVER – NIGHT
The streets are quieter now. A faint breeze carries the scent of river water and street food. Seri walks alone, her hoodie pulled back slightly, face calm but her mind clearly racing.
Her footsteps echo lightly—until suddenly—
VRROOOM!
A thunderous engine purr cuts through the quiet.
A sleek Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX SE in black rolls to a slow stop right beside her, the rider dressed in a dark riding jacket and helmet with the visor still down.
She freezes slightly, turning.
The rider lifts his visor — and there he is.
Someone familiar...