When the Puppet Cuts the Strings

Episode 1

Alfred Roger has spent years giving Haley Peck everything, but when he collapses with a life-threatening illness, the mask finally slips. Instead of helping him, she coldly asks whether his organs can be sold to cover the cost, saying it's a waste of money to keep him in the hospital. When he begs for the modest sum needed for surgery, reminding her that every luxury she owns came from him, she answers with the truth: she never loved him. In the same breath she admits Kai has been in their bed during his business trips, and that his parents' car accident was no accident at all. As he dies, he wishes for another chance — and wakes in his college days, vowing revenge.

Episode 2

Alfred finds himself back in the past, during his college years, when he was still treated as the son of the family's housekeeper and Haley's obedient lackey. He remembers how Haley, obsessed with appearances, once insisted they swap identities in public — she played the wealthy heiress, while he played the servant's child. This time she brushes him off, telling him she's heading to the Regal Hotel to celebrate Kai's birthday and wants nothing to do with him. Alfred recalls that in his last life, he quietly footed that very birthday bill for over a million. Refusing to repeat his mistakes, he takes back the designer bag he had meant to give her and leaves her behind.

Episode 3

Alfred climbs into the family car, leaving Haley stranded, and tells the driver to stop calling her "miss." He now remembers that, not long after his parents' fatal accident, this same driver married Haley's housekeeper mother — a detail that makes him suspicious of the man's loyalties. When the driver hesitates and suggests waiting for Haley, Alfred threatens to replace him, and the car pulls away. Classmates outside are stunned to see the supposed servant's son riding off alone in the wealthy heiress's car while she is left standing on the street. Haley is furious, warning Alfred that she will never forgive him for this humiliation.

Episode 4

Haley scrambles to save face in front of her friends, claiming she sent Alfred to get her car serviced and that he merely holds her bank card to pay for it. She dismisses the card as barely worth anything, and her classmates fawn over her supposed generosity. She invites everyone to Kai's birthday party at the Regal Hotel, bragging about her membership card and the luxury awaiting them. Meanwhile, Alfred's mother calls to discuss raising the housekeeper's salary, but Alfred tells her to leave it as it is and asks her to retrieve the hotel card he had given Haley — setting up a quiet reversal.

Episode 5

At the Regal Hotel, the guests toast Kai and Haley as a perfect couple, and Haley orders expensive wine to show off. Alfred arrives, and the group immediately assumes he's there to pay the bill and grovel. He calmly explains he only came to take back the bag he gave Haley, since she made clear she doesn't like him. The mockery turns ugly when a classmate accuses Alfred's mother of stealing from Haley's family to buy the expensive gift. Alfred's patience snaps, and the confrontation escalates as the crowd keeps pushing him to apologize.

Episode 6

The classmates keep needling Alfred, insisting he should be grateful just to be allowed into the Regal Hotel. They suggest Haley is kind for tolerating him, and urge him to apologize to Kai. When Alfred stands his ground, a scuffle breaks out and Kai is knocked back, sending Haley into a rage. She threatens Alfred, warning him never to hurt Kai again, while the others accuse him of being violent and ungrateful. Alfred points out that no one actually saw him hurt anyone, and that Kai, as a grown man, is hardly fragile. The room turns on him as Haley demands an apology.

Episode 7

The crowd chants for Alfred to apologize to Kai, but Kai plays the gracious host, saying it's his birthday and he doesn't want a scene. Others offer Alfred leftovers from Haley's expensive spread, sneering that he's never tasted such luxury. They taunt him about the costly wine, claiming a single sip is worth more than his mother's wages. Alfred coolly refuses, joking that he can't risk eating food he can't afford to pay for. They assure him Haley will cover everything, mocking him as a freeloader — unaware that the bill is about to land squarely on her.

Episode 8

Talk turns to the Regal Hotel's fearsome owner, the city's underworld boss, and the brutal consequences for anyone who dines without paying. Alfred pointedly asks Haley whether she can actually settle the bill. When the waiter announces the total — 1.38 million — the room expects Haley to pay without blinking. But the staff insist the person who ordered must settle the account. Haley stalls, and Alfred reminds everyone about the gold card he gave her, suggesting it was meant as a surprise. The crowd, still smug, urges her to swipe it and prove her wealth.

Episode 9

The classmates double down, threatening that if Haley pays, Alfred must kneel and apologize, or he won't leave the hotel. They warn him about the fate of those who dine and dash — beaten and broken — but insist Haley could never fail to pay. Someone recognizes the card as the Regal Hotel's supreme gold card, valid for unlimited spending, and the group gloats that Alfred should prepare to kneel. Yet a flicker of doubt creeps in as the card is handed over. Just as the swipe begins, Alfred quietly asks the staff to confirm the hotel's usual punishment for unpaid bills — then tells them to continue.

Episode 10

Alfred asks the staff to clarify once more what happens when a guest can't pay, and they repeat the rule about the brutal punishment. Confident, he tells them to proceed. The card is swiped — and the payment fails. The room erupts in disbelief, insisting the machine must be faulty or that Haley's elite card is simply too high-level for the terminal. The staff note the same card worked fine in another hall moments ago. As the classmates scramble for excuses and demand a better machine, the smug certainty that Haley is untouchable begins to crumble in real time.

Watch as Alfred's quiet revenge unfolds — the moment that card fails is only the beginning.