SERGIO RIJO
Bae Eun-mi left Seoul five years ago, trading a life of privilege for the quiet solitude of Gyeongju, Korea’s ancient Silla capital. Now she runs a dusty hanok bookstore, a peaceful sanctuary built on a foundation of guilt and secrecy. She believes her carefully constructed world is safe, until the notorious city architect arrives next door.Kang Jae-won, the famed 'Wounded Genius' architect, has returned to his hometown on a mission critical to saving his debt-ridden corporate firm. Stoic, scarred, and driven, he is haunted by the concert career he lost-a tragedy Eun-mi knows was her fault. Their accidental reunion under a winter drizzle reignites a painful, unforgettable spark.Jae-won doesn’t just recognize her; he sees the truth in her eyes and deliberately maneuvers his project to force a partnership, exposing their shared, painful past. As Gyeongju’s first snow falls, melting the professional distance, they are drawn into a quiet, intense slow-burn romance. They find solace in shared ramen and simple rooftop confessions, battling the interference of Jae-won’s disapproving mentor and his opportunistic rival, Director Park.But when Eun-mi discovers the full scope of Jae-won’s financial crisis-a massive corporate debt tied entirely to her bookstore’s stability-she believes the only way to save him from complete ruin is to sacrifice their reunion and disappear.When their final confrontation triggers a crisis that threatens to collapse not just the historical site, but Jae-won’s entire future, will Eun-mi finally trust him enough to face the wreckage together, or will the silence of the second separation cost them their only chance at healing?
