Hana told Joo Won about So Hee, Ji Woo's friend, and shared her risky plan. Driven by his renewed confidence, Joo Won agreed. So Hee had asked Hana to find out if Joo Won had any proof of Mr. Hwang's crimes from 22 years ago.
But the question hung in the air. Joo Won's newfound confidence wavered. He closed his eyes, sifting through years of threats and controlled interactions, but found nothing. His shoulders slumped slightly.
"No," he admitted, the word heavy with defeat. "I never... I never thought to keep proof. I never planned for revenge." A hollow, bitter laugh escaped him. "He told me that even a self-inflicted death would be a failure of his control. That if I died, he would take it out on Ji Woo. So I didn't even have the luxury of ending my own suffering. I was just... waiting. Waiting for my end to either come from him or from by the chance of fate."
The raw despair in his voice shattered Hana's composure. The image of him, living each day as a prisoner biding time until his own execution, was too devastating to bear. A wave of overwhelming pity and sorrow washed over her. Without a second thought, she leaned forward and pulled his head to her chest, cradling him against the dark desire he had held inside him.
Joo Won froze for a fraction of a second, stunned by the sudden, profound warmth. It was a sensation so foreign, so achingly gentle, that it unraveled him completely. Since the day he was torn from the orphanage, no one had held him. No one had offered comfort. His body, always held in a state of rigid control, went limp against hers.
A deep, shuddering breath escaped him as he buried his face in the delicate frame of her chest. His arms, as if moving on their own volition, wrapped tightly around her tiny waist, pulling her flush against him, bridging the final inches between them. He held on as if she were the only solid thing in a world that had been nothing but quicksand for twenty-two years.
In that moment, their roles reversed and intertwined. She seemed so fragile in his strong, desperate embrace, yet she held an immense power—the power to offer solace, to see the man beneath the prisoner. And he, for all his muscular strength, seemed gentle and broken in her arms, finally allowing himself to be weak, to be held, to be comforted. It was a silent pact, sealed not with words, but with the desperate, clinging hold of a man who had just found a reason to stop waiting for his end, and to start fighting for his beginning.
She let him stay like that before she sprang up from his lap and went to her bag resting on the couch across, retrieving a single, crisp piece of paper
She let him stay like that before she sprang up from his lap and went to her bag resting on the couch across, retrieving a single, crisp piece of paper...."Oh, I have something to show you.." taking out a piece of paper which held the power to reclaim the identity of Joo Won's dead life. Joo Won took the paper. It was a DNA report—a paternity test between him and Chairman Hwang. The result: 0.00% probability.
He stared, breathless. "How...? When did you get my DNA? And... how did you manage to get his?"
Hana explained her one-woman act of that day. A stunned silence filled the room. Then, a slow, amazed smile spread across Joo Won's face. He brought his hands together in a soft, sincere clap—a gesture of pure admiration.
"Hana," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You are brilliant."
Hana revealed the most dangerous part of the plan: Joo Won must become Bae Hoon again—but only for his mother.
His entire life as an imposter had turned him into a perfect copy. He knew Bae Hoon's tastes, mannerisms, and voice—all now a weapon. By appearing before Mrs. Hwang as the son she lost, he could trigger her fragile psyche.
So Hee's psychiatrist father believed Mrs. Hwang suffered from Capgras delusion, in non-medical terms, doppelgänger anxiety—seeing Joo Won as a stranger wearing her son's face. Confronted with a flawless imitation, she might break, revealing secrets or guilt buried with her real son.
But Joo Won had to be careful. Chairman Hwang and Secretary Baek felt no such grief—they only saw Joo Won as an asset. If they suspected his act, the consequences would be severe. This was a psychological gamble: use a mother's love and loss against her, to uncover the truth she helped bury.
Hana's plan was sharp, strategic—a psychological knife aimed at the family's weakest link. But when she finished, Joo Won shook his head.
"No," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "Not to her." Even after everything—the coldness, the rejection—he remembered the small, fragile moments when Mrs. Hwang had shown him a version of care, fleeting as it was. "She grieves. She sees a ghost when she looks at me, and it breaks her every day. I will not use her pain as a weapon."
Hana stared, utterly dumbfounded. After 22 years of imprisonment in another boy's life, he still showed mercy. "Wahhh!" she clapped her hands once in sheer frustration. "You really are kind-hearted, Joo Won. But listen to me—your kindness will get you killed. It will make your enemies stronger. Do you think the Chairman will show kindness to Ji Woo when he finds out? Or to my family? Or to me? They will destroy everyone around you without a second thought."
But Joo Won rose from his chair and turned toward the glass wall of his office, where the dusky sky bled the deep red of the setting sun. Without facing Hana, he said quietly, "If you believe I am that kind of person, you are mistaken."
Even if it was for a little while, Joo Won did feel her motherly love—and he understood her cold, contemptuous distance which surfaced later on after knowing that she had been showering her love on the wrong person. He wore the face of her dead son, the son she could never publicly mourn. And it was one thing to perform for the world, and another to pretend before family—especially a mother-in-law who constantly accused her of neglect, blaming her for Bae Hoon's fading health, never knowing the grandson she scolded her daughter in law for had long since been replaced. "I don't think your friend," he said, looking at the sky hinting at Bae Hoon, "will ever forgive me if I hurt his loving mother."
Joo Won dropped Hana to her home. He parked the car a bit far so that Mr Baek does not spot them. Before letting her go, he kissed her once again in the car after undoing the seatbelts as if he wanted the lingering memory of her lips to stay on his for the rest of the night. One last passionate kiss of this year. Hana and Joo Won decided to keep this secret. This secret was the only thing he wanted to carry forward from the old year to the new one.
Back in his apartment, Joo Won began his homework on Bae Hoon. Though he was Bae Hoon now—a newer, upgraded model—there was still much to learn. He recalled the camcorder tapes from his training sessions with the Chairman and Secretary Baek, the recordings of the real Bae Hoon singing and reciting poems, dancing, eating with his family, celebrating birthday. His task had been to mimic the boy's mannerisms, tone perfectly, a feat he never achieved.
It suddenly hit him—in one of the sessions, while fumbling with the handycam, trying to understand how it worked, he had accidentally recorded over one of the tapes that once held Bae Hoon's crucial footage. The memory surged back with a sting: the Chairman, in a fit of rage, had hurled a glass of whiskey at him. It missed, shattering just inches from where he knelt, followed by a vicious tirade drenched in insults about his lowly origins.
Unbeknownst to Joo Won, the camera had been left running. And on that tape was the one piece of evidence powerful enough to bring down the Hwang dynasty. In his attempt to humiliate Joo Won, Mr. Hwang had gone too far boasting about how easy it was to kidnap an orphan bastard to protect his empire, and warning that Joo Won's value would vanish if he dared tarnish the Chairman's reputation. Later when Joo Won checked the tapes, he found out the insults from the chairman, thinking this was the worst day of his life, he hid the tape under a loose floorboard where no one could find it.
It was damning. The criminal had confessed, in detail, to his own crime. And Joo Won had never realized the significance of what he'd captured—until now.
Since he would likely be excluded from the New Year's party for being a "disappointment", he would not be able to enter the mansion. Besides, the mansion was riddled with security cameras, and the security would be heightened for the event. Getting caught would be an unavoidable risk, a gamble with immense consequences.
He decided that he needed Hana's help if he wished to achieve the great feat. He called Hana. On the phone he said, "About the new game update," he began, his voice low and deliberate even in the empty apartment. "The one you mentioned, where a player can choose to be the hero... or the villain. I want it launched on New Year's Day. I want to be its first tester."
He paused, letting the silence hang. "Tell the developers... I choose to play the villain." For the clever Hana, this was enough hint to understand what he meant. She promptly asked him to meet. Hana sneaked out of the house, and she and he met in a cafe which is on the other side of her house to avoid suspicion over steaming cups neither would drink, he leaned in, his voice a near-whisper. Since the Hwangs know both Hana's and Joo Won's face, it would be difficult for them to sneak into the mansion without getting caught.
Hana nodded, a plan already crystallizing in her mind. "I know who can get the job done." Without hesitation, she dialed Ji Woo on speakerphone. As she explained the situation, she handed one half of a Bluetooth earpiece set to Joo Won, securing the other in her own ear—forging a secret, real-time connection.
As she explained the situation, she handed one half of a Bluetooth earpiece set to Joo Won, securing the other in her own ear—forging a secret, real-time connection
Ji Woo listened intently but quickly hit a wall. "No! Absolutely not!" Ji Woo's voice erupted from the phone, sharp with instant, protective panic. "We can't drag her into this. If they catch her... her life would be in danger. It's beyond risky."
"Hear me out," Hana countered, her tone shifting into one of steady assurance. "I'll be there with her, I am going there as a guest. The second there's even a hint of trouble, we will run. Ji Woo, I give you my word—on my life, I will not let a single hair on your girlfriend's head be harmed."
"S-she is my senior and a colleague at work. She is not my girlfriend".... fumbled Ji Woo over the phone.
"Oh I am sorry for assuming. You guys gave couple vibes last time we met. Apologies"...Hana earnestly said.
Ji Woo over the phone..."it's okay."
It was decided that Ji Woo and Joo Won would be present at the scene as the ladies might be in danger.
******
MISSION BRIEFING
LAUNCH DATE: 01 JANUARY
OBJECTIVE: Infiltrate the Hwang Estate and retrieve the target: one box of camcorder cassettes from the inner sanctum of Bae Hoon's bedroom.
WEAPON: None as there will be security guards searching people at the entrances of the mansion, be it the guests or the staffs.
THE TEAM:
FIELD AGENT (INFILTRATOR): So Hee
Profile: Unknown to the Hwangs. Only viable asset for physical insertion.
Role: Infiltration and retrieval.
CONTROL (COMMAND & INTEL): Joo Won
Profile: Primary intel source on the target location and enemy patterns.
Role: Remote guidance via comms. Mission command.
EYES IN THE SKY (INSIDE SURVEILLANCE): Hana
Profile: The architect of the operation. Officially present as a guest. Trusted by the Hwangs.
Role: Distraction creation, real-time surveillance of the primary threats (The Chairman, Secretary Baek), and extraction support for the Field Agent if compromised.
GHOST (OUTSIDE SUPPORT & COMMS): Ji Woo
Profile: Remote tech support. Technically capable but emotionally compromised regarding the Field Agent.
Role: Communications integrity, contingency planning, and emergency exfiltration coordination.
THE OPPOSITION:
Primary Antagonists: The Hwang Family, Secretary Baek & security staffs.
Threat Level: Extreme. Highly observant, paranoid, and ruthless. Security will be heightened due to the New Year's event.
Obstacles: Armed security personnel, a comprehensive network of surveillance cameras, and a house full of guests who may report suspicious activity.
THE STAKES:
MISSION SUCCESS (REWARD): The key to Joo Won's liberation. Critical evidence to break free from a life of dangerous imitation and constant threat. A chance at a future built on truth, not lies.
MISSION FAILURE (GAME OVER): Total compromise. Capture will result in severe, unforgiving consequences from a family of monsters. There is no reset button. No respawn. This is a single-life playthrough.
So Hee agreed to do this once Ji Woo explained her the plan. She can do anything this man tells her to. Although, he is younger than her, it's as if he holds some sort of power over her. She did not think twice before saying yes.
The night of the operation arrived, crisp and cold. The Hwang mansion glittered in the distance, a fortress of old money and secrets. As per the plan, all four took Ji Woo's car, Ji Woo drove with Joo Won in the passenger seat and with the two ladies at the back seat. They parked the car far down the winding drive, away from the main valet and prying eyes. Joo Won was in a disguise- in a loose, grey hoodie, a pair of black trousers, a black baseball cap, and a pair of non-prescription glasses. He puts on a black KF94 mask as advised by Hana earlier.
The contrast between So Hee and Hana was stark. So Hee was already in her disguise: the crisp, utilitarian uniform of event staff, designed to make her look like part of the workforce. Hana, however, was a vision. She was draped in a gown of deep crimson, her hair falling in loose waves. A delicate necklace sparkled at her throat, and a small clutch was held tightly in her gloved hands—the complete picture of an esteemed guest.
Both guys wished the ladies "Fighting." So Hee gave Hana a final once-over after getting out of the car, with a genuine smile touching her lips. "Hana," she whispered, "You look... breathtaking. Joo Won is a very lucky man."
A warm blush instantly colored Hana's cheeks. She dipped her head slightly, a formal and graceful gesture. "Thank you, So Hee," she replied softly, her voice laced with both gratitude and the weight of their shared secret. The game was about to begin.
Hana wished So Hee all the best, fixing her dress and walking towards the entrance of the mansion. From the backdoor of the mansion, So Hee entered in her catering uniform.
As she entered sneakily, the catering manager popped out of nowhere as if he was looking for servers and had her hold a tray full of champagne ordering her to serve the drinks to the guests.
"You! Finally! Where have you been? No time for standing around. We are critically short-staffed. Take this to the main hall. And," he added, pointing a stern finger, "keep the drinks flowing. I don't want to see you taking breaks."
The order was a potential disaster, locking her into a very time-consuming role. But it was also her perfect cover. "Yes, sir," she murmured, bowing her head.
Balancing the tray, she pushed through the swinging doors into the event—and nearly gasped. The mansion's grandeur didn't just outshine the New Year; it seemed to mock it. The main hall was a cathedral of wealth, dripping with chandeliers that scattered light across a sea of diamonds and silk. It was breathtaking, opulent, and utterly terrifying and filled with potential threats. Now, she had to navigate this labyrinth of human looking monsters while pretending to serve them drinks.
Hana found So Hee navigating the sea of guests, a solitary island of purpose in a caterer's uniform.
With a fluid, practiced motion, Hana plucked a champagne flute from So Hee's tray. She took a long, deliberate sip, not for thirst, but for strategy. The large sip allowed her to raise the glass, using its elegant bowl as a shield.
Hiding her mouth behind the crystal, her eyes, sharp and intent, flickered meaningfully toward a specific door upstairs. Her voice, a breathy murmur muffled by the glass, was for So Hee's ears only.
"Treasure."
So Hee's gaze followed Hana's subtle signal, locking onto the door to Bae Hoon's room for a fraction of a second. The "treasure" was in sight. Now, for the distraction.
With a calculated stumble, So Hee lurched forward, her shoulder connecting with Hana's arm as planned. The champagne flute flew from Hana's hand, exploding against the pristine fabric of her red gown in a shower of golden liquid and shattered crystal.
A collective gasp rippled through the nearby guests.
"Oh no!" So Hee cried out, her voice dripping with manufactured panic. She bowed deeply, her hands fluttering in a perfect pantomime of remorse. "I am so sorry, miss! So terribly clumsy! Please, forgive me! Let me help you clean this immediately!"
"I am so sorry, miss! So terribly clumsy! Please, forgive me! Let me help you clean this immediately!"
Hana played her part flawlessly, recoiling with a look of shocked indignation. With a flurry of apologies to the onlookers, So Hee gently but firmly guided the "stricken" guest away from the crowd, up the grand staircase, and toward the sanctuary of a "restroom" upstairs. She hid two sensors on the flower decorations around the spherical shaped newel posts on each side of the stairs before climbing up. The sensors were transmitting signal to the laptop in the car where Ji Woo and Joo Won were keeping watch. As soon as any motion would be detected, they would signal them to flee.
They reached the bathroom and avoiding everyone's gaze, they made their way to Bae Hoon's room.
With a final, nervous glance down the grand foyer, Hana turned the knob.
The treasure hunt began.
The room was a museum to a ghost, frozen in time. Joo Won hid the tape under 14th floorboard which was loose in an attempt to hide the tape, not because he was scared of the chairman but because he was sad that Mrs Hwang would be in pain that a piece of memory of Bae Hoon had been wiped off. Now, guiding the search from afar, Joo Won's voice was tight in their ears. "There should be a tiny screwdriver in one of the drawers."
The two drawers on either side of the bed were quickly pulled open. So Hee, working through the three shelves on the left, finally found a stack of folders in the deepest one. As she shuffled through them, a small, sharp screwdriver clattered to the floor.
"Hana, here it is," she whispered, pressing the cool metal into Hana's hand.
Suddenly, Ji Woo's and Joo Won's voices erupted in their earpieces in a panicked chorus: "WARNING: Motion detected! Someone's approaching—get out or hide! Now!"
But the girls couldn't just leave the task. The source of freedom lied just beneath their feet.
The floorboard, sealed shut since a young Joo Won had buried his secret, was stubbornly stuck. Hana's hands trembled as she fought against it. With a final, desperate attempt, the wood gave way. She snatched the tape just as the voices in her ear sharpened to a razor's edge.
"He's almost at the door!" They both shouted.
The tape was a cold, hard square in Hana's clutch. "So Hee" she whispered, her voice urgent, "let's get out of here. I got it. I have the tape."
But So Hee stood frozen, a single file held in her hands, her eyes wide with a newfound information. So Hee quickly took out her phone's camera and snapped a photo of the document she saw on the file and quickly shoved the file back in the drawer.
"So Hee!" Hana hissed, approaching quickly to catch hold of her hand in order to escape.
The sharp click of the door unlocking echoed in the silent room