Was actually looking for an emotional watch when I stumbled on this, just pure luck. It’s a 2025 Taiwanese television series that blends elements of crime thriller, mystery, and youth romance. Trigger warning: rape, domestic violence, mental health, suicide, bullying, heavy topics explored throughout the drama.
This is a two-part story centering on Li Jen-Yao, who is on death row as a serial killer. We meet these filmmakers trying to make a documentary about him. Chou Pin-yu, one of the interviewers, is fascinated by him, and she feels this sense of peace around him. As we get to know her, she is a multi-layered character who, at first, is haunted by a high school ghost. But as we get to know her, we get to know/experience all the different lives she has lived. The series weaves between present and past, and we see Li Jen-Yao’s story get fully unwrapped.
These two seemingly strangers at first actually have a past that is filled with unweavering high school love, which was not given a chance to bloom, and the commitment they had to each other. A love that only a handful of people knew existed. Think of it as a butterfly effect, how one action can cause a bigger effect, how Li Jen’s upbringing shaped him. how he never gave up on life, no matter how many times he was punched, trying to keep his eyes focused on the one bright thing in his life until life took that away, too. The juxtaposition of irresponsible parents and parents willing to do anything for their daughter, even if, once in a while, they become strangers to her.
Li Jen- Yao is played by Tseng Jing-Hua, and he was perfect for this role. He was able to get all these emotions out of me by just the look in his eyes. You can always know when he was nervous, scared, embarrassed, or angry without him saying anything. The two scenes that stood out for me is when he first meet Chou Pin-Yu in prison, he had the soften look I literally replayed it back multiple times, the second scene is still in prison when he was being questioned about Chiang Hsiao-Tung, he did not say anything but something about the way he tightened his fists and veins popping in his face and at the moment you think his finally going to react, he cools down to the most nonchalant face. It’s rare for actors to be able to show you what they are feeling instead of telling, and in both scenes, Tseng Jing Hua managed to show, not tell. I also want to give special flowers to Moon Lee for her portrayal of Chiang Hsiao-Tung, especially after that “incident”; it’s the way I was able to feel each of her emotions. I had to take a break after that one mirror scene when these words appeared on her whole body…it was just a lot. Kudos to Chiang Chi for her portrayal of Chou Pin-Yu, who was an outsider in her own life story.
Special thanks to director Jiang Ji-Zheng and Chien Chi-Feng for being able to bring out the best in these wonderful actors. Writers Lin Hsin-Hui and Chien Chi-Feng for giving life to such a wonderful piece
Would I recommend it? Yes, absolutely. Had I not seen the sun show you that sometimes the villain is life, the decisions made by parents, and how all this can push someone to the breaking point. You will get frustrated, angry, sad, smile when our leads smile, keep rooting for them, see the moments they finally give up, and then you will sit back and watch the after effects. It’s a criminal psychology, psychological trauma that will make you question your personal values along the way.
