Tami (looking up at the sky):
"I will never forget your kindness..."
A finely maintained, horse-drawn carriage pulls up. It has a black iron frame and is decorated with floral garlands.
Tami watches the carriage with anticipation. From inside, Nelson, the current Village Chief, steps out. He extends his hand to assist a woman, his wife, whom he seems to adore.
She is striking, wearing a luxurious yellow coat.
Tami's eyes narrow slightly, and he clenches his fist somewhat. The wind picks up, ruffling his hair.
When the woman's eyes land on Tami, they widen distinctly in surprise.
Nelson (noticing her reaction):
"What is it, my dear?"
Wife:
"Nothing... I was just lost in thought."
Nelson and Tami head toward the entrance.
Tami (voice intentionally dark):
"This way, my lord."
Nelson (raising an eyebrow):
"And who might you be?"
The woman shoots Tami an angry glare, her eyes boiling with tension and anger.
Tami:
"Your father hired me as the Castle Guard."
Wife (with disdain):
"You are nothing but a worthless man. This job is far beyond your capability."
Nelson laughs arrogantly as he enters. Tami sits down quietly on the steps, his eyes fixed on the ground, sadness clouding his face.
Wife (whispering nervously to Nelson):
"Ask your father to dismiss him."
Nelson (squinting at Tami suspiciously):
"Do you... know him?"
Wife (looking away and laughing awkwardly):
"No... Of course not. I have never seen him before in my life."
Evening falls.
Nelson's father, the former Chief, is dressed in a blue uniform, elegant and imposing as a true leader.
Father (cheerfully):
"We shall meet again soon."
He gets into the carriage and departs.
Tami (thinking):
"Go... and never return. That is my only hope."
Inside the Wife's Room: A door is in the upper left, a bed in the center, and a large vanity table filled with perfumes and powders, with a wide mirror above it.
Wife (anxiously chewing her lip):
"He is planning something..."
Night deepens.
The family gathers at the dining table. Nelson's prominent mother, her face wrinkled, sits at the head. Opposite her sits the wife. To her right, Nelson faces his father.
At this moment, Tami is partially in his room.
Tami (whispering to himself):
"This is the perfect time..."
The slow clink of spoons against bowls sounds like the quiet ticking of a clock counting down to catastrophe.
Tami cautiously advances toward the Chief's office, his shaky footsteps echoing softly. He closes the door with extreme care; its creak speaks volumes.
He steps inside, searching through a stack of papers, reading them one by one, his realization swinging between hope and fear.
With every page, his hope renews.
His heart pounds as if it will burst from his chest.
Tami (muttering):
"Where could it be...? Where?"
(Doubt creeps in)
"Did he burn it...? Or was it never here?"
Tami (whispering quietly):
"Should I give up... and just settle for this job?"
(His voice deepens, burdened with sorrow)
"Why me...? If someone else had been chosen, they would have found the documents already..."
Tami (choked up, eyes wet):
"My uncle believes in me... he sacrificed everything for our happiness... If only that day hadn't happened, perhaps things would have been better."
He takes two steps back toward the corner.
He senses a loose floorboard beneath him.
Tami (his eyes widening):
"What...? Could it be...?"
He kneels cautiously and probes the floorboard. Beneath it is a paper sealed with a glowing red mark, radiating mystery.
He places it on the floor, points his right hand at it, and closes his eyes. A transparent aura of Shin energy envelops his body.
A green light shoots out, quickly diminishing. Then, beside it, another page, wrapped in a shimmering green halo. After a moment, the light subsides, revealing an original Charter of Oxford.
Tami grips the charter, returns the loose floorboard to its place, leaving no sign of his intrusion.
Everything calms down again... except for his heart, which still pounds under the weight of what is to come.
[Inside the Mansion]
The woman suddenly jumps up from her chair, her face pale as if she is about to faint.
Wife (distressed, haunted):
"I'll be right back..."
Nelson notices her expression and raises his eyebrows with increasing suspicion.
In the hallway, Tami clutches the paper, excitement coursing through his body.
Tami (with a cunning smirk):
"I have tipped the scales for us... Now, you are mine."
Faint footsteps echo from the stairs.
Tami quickly hides the document under his shirt.
The woman returns from the dining hall and heads toward the stairs.
Tami (whistling, raising an eyebrow mockingly):
"Look who's back... the Queen of Deceit!"
She is incandescent with anger and contempt. She grabs his arm aggressively and pulls him along.
Tami (sarcastically):
"Easy there, don't spill the wine on yourself."
Wife (serious, with piercing eyes):
"Come... and stay quiet."
They ascend the stairs; she pulls him into her room and slams the door shut.
[Inside the Room]
Wife (exploding with fury):
"Are you planning something?"
He scans the inner corners of the room with probing eyes.
Tami (lowering his gaze and narrowing his eyes):
"Is this the world you dreamt of? The life you longed for?"
The question catches her off guard.
Wife (bitterly):
"My life was better before you came back... If I had stayed with you, my destiny would have been a hell of poverty."
Tami (clenching his fist, his voice calm):
"Is that right... is poverty what frightens you most? Have our lives become blind to what we don't need? Do you value a person by what they own, and not by who they are?"
Wife (scoffing):
"Ha! That's easy to say when you've never tasted the gutter!"
Tami (lifting his chin toward her):
"Are we human... or just walking desires that vanish once sated? I wonder... will I become one of them? Will I hurt others just for a moment's gain?
(He rubs his forehead and laughs bitterly)
"Ha... what nonsense am I saying? I don't even know if I'll be myself tomorrow."
Wife:
"Without power, you are better off as a mere fly."
Tami (his fists trembling, his eyes burning with hidden rage):
"Money fixes walls, not souls... It builds houses, not values. Do you think your worth is measured by banknotes?"
Wife (angry, quietly sad):
"I don't know how I ended up like this... I don't know myself. I feel like a dog carried by its leash. I haven't smiled once since my marriage."
His words create silence.
Wife (sitting on the floor, pulling her legs close):
"We didn't know life could cling to your skin and wound you until the bone..."
Tami (trying to soothe her):
"We can mend the past..."
Wife (laughing coldly and arrogantly):
"Ha! Do you think you can? I've gotten used to luxury... and I will die rich!"
Tami (lips trembling with sorrow):
"Life has harmed us more than any enemy... It tore us apart. But the past is just a memory, and we swallow it before it swallows us."
Wife (crying):
"Am I... a slave to money?"
Tami (with imposing wisdom):
"Money is nothing but a thief... it steals people's morals."
Wife (standing up, sneering):
"Ha! Morals... how foolish you are!"
Tami:
"...What?"
Wife (her face contorted with deceit):
"Don't forget... you are still bound by poverty. And I... I survived."
Wife (raising her voice):
"From now on, forget everything we said... Forget that we loved each other... Forget that I exist."
The door bursts open. Nelson stands there, a tactical pistol in his hand, his eyes blazing with fury.
Nelson (with a murderous gaze):
"What are you hiding, you pauper? I won't move until I get answers."
Wife (cunning):
"There is nothing... between me and this scoundrel."
Tami (shouting a challenge):
"Don't lie to him! He deserves the truth—here, now!
Sweat beads on her forehead as she clenches her teeth in tension.
Tami (smiling cynically):
"You should know... so you are not deceived. She was my lover, yes... But I won't finish the story. Let your darling wife tell you the rest."
The woman stumbles backward. Nelson approaches, his gun aimed at her.
Tami walks out of the room.
Wife (screaming):
"Save me, Tami... please!"
Tami calmly adjusts his tie.
Tami (quietly):
"He who refuses to see his mistakes... deserves to perish."
He adjusts his cuffs and walks away, cold, confident, and aloof.
[The Next Dawn]
Tami stands on a rock at the edge of the mountain. He is surrounded by whispers of truths he has long avoided.
Tami (looking at the sky, his eyes lost):
"Is she alright...? Maybe it's not about right or wrong... but the inevitability of choice. Sometimes... leaving is the only option, no matter how painful."
Tami (smiling bitterly):
"Ha... Humans are skilled at justifying everything. We hide every initiative we didn't decide ourselves—just so we don't feel regret."
Tami (looking at the Charter in his hand, the object of his quest):
"But what is the point of choice... if peace doesn't follow? Why do I feel a slight loss... even as I hold victory? Is this success... or just another escape wrapped in pride?"
[In the Market]
As Tami walks through the alleys, he overhears a conversation between a customer and a merchant.
Customer:
"Did you hear about Mr. Nelson?"
Tami freezes. Time seems to stop.
He moves step by step, his eyes filled with fear.
Tami (trembling, his voice strained):
"What did you say?"
Customer (coolly):
"I said... Nelson's wife is dead."
Tami lowers his gaze, his eyes sinking into the ground, his lips curved in sorrow.
Tami (Internal conflict):
"Have I become one of them? Just another man reacting like everyone else? My heart screams—something terrible has happened."
Tami (muttering mysteriously, for the first time):
"I used to boast about my desires... and claimed I was striving for them. And now, I achieved it, not through victory... but through betrayal. I betrayed my friend, and I abandoned her. What kind of fire is fed by demanding loyalty?"
[In front of Nelson's Mansion]
Tami stands among the crowd, his eyes gleaming as he stares at the luxurious carriage in front of the mansion. Whispers rise around him, but silence fills his ears.
There, inside the coffin, is the final situation he never imagined.
Tami (quietly, in pain):
"Should I cry now? What good are tears if they can't rewind time? Do they heal what is broken inside us? Or are they just overdue debts paid with helplessness?"
(He looks down, then at the coffin)
"What if I hadn't turned my back on her? What if I had approached her immediately with friendship, not arrogance... Could I have prevented this fate? Or is there a reason we are born with that cannot be escaped?"
(His voice trembling, sorrow bleeding into philosophy)
"Are we human? Or parasites that cling until the first trial? Was my pride more valuable than a living soul? Should I have surrendered from the start?"
(He sighs, placing his hand on his chest)
"I feel shame... not of the world, but of myself. The real shame is not losing others. But losing our humanity when we watch our loved ones break, only to realize too late... We hold onto worthless tears in front of the coffin."
(He whispers, finally):
"There is no choosing regret... when silence is the only answer the dead can give."
[Nelson's eyes were like blades, fixed and full of silent rage, aimed at Tami.]
Tami freezes in place, stunned, feeling the weight of the moment as he should.
In Nelson's mind, a door to the past creaks open...
...and the tragedy occurred.
(In a deep, rough voice hinting at regret and the weight of responsibility)
Narrator:
"Tami" felt the weight of his mistake pressing down upon his chest, and the agony of remorse wrung his heart. Tami set out, heading towards "Floreen," but he had barely arrived when he found the gang members attempting to assault him.
In that moment, their leader, "Shoken," stepped forward to confront him. Shoken, with his round face, narrow eyes, and coarse black hair, was no match in the brief duel. He was easily and completely defeated, and fled, running away. We see Shoken withdrawing with languid steps, and upon his face, a wicked smile hints at a cunning yet to be revealed.
(The Narrator continues his account, the tone gradually shifting towards admiration and appreciation)
Narrator:
In the midst of this scene, the gang members bowed down, kneeling before Tami, in a gesture of awe and respect, for he had become the new leader. This was their ancient system: whoever defeats the King, becomes his undisputed successor.
Tami did not exploit this newfound power for evil purposes or for sheer authority. Instead, he mobilized his gang to prevent drug trafficking from crossing into the safe village of "Al-Ra'd" (The Thunder).
The situation returned to the present.
(Tami spoke in a quiet, commanding voice):
"Remove your masks."
Every individual complied, taking off their mask, revealing their identities:
The Five Members
Kuriyama Renji: A young man with thick, messy hair, narrow eyes, an oval face, and a short nose.
Takada Ginzo: A man with blond hair, wide green eyes, and a round face.
Ushida Goro (Description One): A man with wrinkles on his face, dark-complexioned, wide gray eyes, and his white hair tied back.
Ushida Goro (Description Two): A bald man, bearing a deep scar on his right cheek, narrow eyes, a small nose, a rectangular face, and a muscular jaw.
Sudo Haruto: A man with short, coarse brown hair, narrow eyes, a thick nose, and an oval face.
(Tami smiled a meaningful smile and said in a confident tone):
"These are the members of our syndicate."