A Letter to Tae
episode 1
A crowded street in Shibuya, Tokyo, May 2025. The evening hums with life neon signs flicker in kanji and hangul, street vendors hawk takoyaki, and students weave through the throng, their laughter sharp against the urban din. Park Jimin, 22, a South Korean exchange student, stands frozen before a defaced monument, his hands stained with red spray paint.
The monument, a sleek stone pillar symbolizing Korean-Japanese unity, bears his impulsive scrawl: “Who are we?” His heart pounds, not from pride but from the sinking realization of what he’s done
Jimin’s rebellion was born of frustration caught between his Korean roots and the pressure to assimilate in Tokyo, he felt like an outsider his whole life. The paint was his protest, a cry for identity, but now it’s landed him in trouble. Mr. Lee, a Korean-Japanese philanthropist in his 60s, looms before him, his tailored suit and stern eyes radiating authority. His voice cuts through the street noise, calm but unyielding.
Mr.Lee
Park Jimin, you’ve got courage, I’ll give you that. But defacing my monument? That’s a choice you’ll answer for. I could have you arrested… or you could make this right
Jimin is defiant, but voice wavering
Park jimin
Right? It’s just a statue. Nobody cares about ‘unity’ anymore. It’s all fake promises
Mr. Lee raising an eyebrow says
Mr.Lee
Fake or not, you’ve crossed a line. I’m offering you a way out. Deliver this letter to its recipient, and I’ll forget your stunt. Refuse, and you’ll face the consequences
Mr. Lee hands Jimin a yellowed envelope, its edges frayed but sealed tight. The handwriting is elegant, almost desperate: “To Tae, from J.”
Jimin’s fingers brush the paper, and a strange weight settles in his chest, like holding someone’s heart
Park jimin
A letter? From who? And why me? I’m not a courier
Mr. Lee's voice softening
Mr.Lee
The man who wrote this was a soldier, a hero in his time. The man it’s meant for… he’s harder to reach. This letter’s been lost for 20 years, buried in an archive until I found it. You’re young, restless—maybe you’ll understand its value. Start in Seoul. You have one month
Jimin tucks the letter into his backpack, his mind a tangle of skepticism and curiosity. He’s used to dodging trouble, not chasing it, but something in Mr. Lee’s gaze regret, perhaps—makes him pause.
Park jimin
Fine. But if this is some wild goose chase, I’m out
Mr. Lee nods, his expression unreadable, and disappears into the crowd. Jimin stands alone, the city’s pulse mocking his uncertainty
2
Jimin’s cramped apartment in Tokyo, hours later. The room is a chaotic shrine to student life textbooks spill across a low table, empty ramyeon cups teeter on the counter, and a worn dance trophy glints on a shelf, a relic of Jimin’s Busan days. Jung Hoseok, 23, Jimin’s roommate and a journalism student with an infectious grin, sprawls on the floor, fiddling with his camera. The letter, still sealed, sits on the table between them, its faded envelope glowing under the dim light of a paper lantern
Jimin turns the envelope over in his hands, tracing the handwriting—“To Tae, from J.” He hasn’t opened it, respecting its sealed state, but Mr. Lee’s words echo: Jeon Jungkook, a hero. The letter feels like a relic, heavy with unspoken stories. Hoseok, ever curious, leans forward, his eyes sparkling with the promise of a mystery.
Park jimin
Hobi, this is ridiculous. A 20-year-old letter from some soldier named Jeon Jungkook to someone called Tae? Mr. Lee’s got me playing errand boy for a ghost. Why’s this thing so important? 😤
Jung Hosoek
😀 Because it’s a mystery, Jimin-ah! Think about it a letter lost for two decades, written by a hero? There’s a story here, and I’m dying to crack it. Jeon Jungkook, huh? Bet he was DMZ, 2005. That was a tense time border clashes, peace talks falling apart. Maybe Tae was… I don’t know, someone special to him?
Park jimin
🙄 Special? You mean a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Could just be a friend, Hobi. We don’t even know if Tae’s a guy or a girl. All we’ve got is a name and this creepy old envelope
Jimin tosses the letter onto the table, but his fingers linger, betraying his curiosity. He’s no romantic, but the idea of a soldier pouring his heart into a letter then losing it for 20 years stirs something in him, a flicker of longing for purpose beyond his aimless Tokyo days.
Jung Hosoek
Come on, you’re hooked, I can tell. Mr. Lee said Jungkook was a hero, right? Maybe Tae was someone he fought for, someone he… loved. We gotta find out who Tae is. Seoul’s the starting point. I’m coming with you this could be my big journalism break!
Park jimin
😑 Your break? This is my punishment, not your documentary. But… fine. You’re better at digging up dirt than me. Any ideas where to start looking for this Tae person?
Hoseok grabbing his laptop
Jung Hosoek
DMZ records, maybe. If Jungkook was a soldier, his unit might’ve left a trai comrades, reports, something. Tae could be a local from the border, or… maybe someone he met during a mission? 2005 was rough—rogue factions, spies, all that. I’ll check old news archives for anything on Jeon Jungkook
Park jimin
You’re reaching spies..? . But… okay, this letter’s bugging me. It’s like it’s watching me. Why didn’t Jungkook deliver it himself? And why’s Tae so hard to find?
Hoseok pauses, his usual cheer tempered by the weight of Jimin’s question. He taps the letter, careful not to disturb its seal.
Jung Hosoek
Maybe he couldn’t. War messes things up people get separated, lost. If Jungkook was at the DMZ, he was in the middle of hell. This letter… it’s like a piece of him that never made it home
Jimin stares at the envelope, its “To Tae, from J” stark against the yellowed paper. He’s always been quick to run from responsibility, but this feels different a call he can’t ignore. His cynicism battles a growing spark, like a dancer catching the rhythm of a new beat
Park jimin
This is nuts. I’m just a screw-up who tagged a monument. Now I’m chasing a soldier’s lost letter? But… I kinda want to know what happened. Who’s Tae, and why’s this letter still sealed? 😮💨
Jung Hosoek
That’s the spirit! We’ll figure it out together. Seoul, DMZ, wherever it takes us. Bet we’ll find some old-timers who knew Jungkook. Maybe they’ll point us to Tae
3
A veterans’ café in Seoul, one week later. The café is a sanctuary of memory walls adorned with sepia photos of soldiers, their smiles caught in time like fireflies. A jukebox hums a trot ballad, its notes weaving through the scent of barley tea and faint cigarette smoke. Jimin and Hoseok sit across from Min Yoongi, 47, a retired sergeant with a face etched by years and a voice like worn velvet. His eyes, sharp yet tender, carry the weight of a past he both cherishes and mourns.
Jimin shifts uncomfortably, a stranger in this world of grizzled veterans. Hoseok’s notebook is ready, pen poised, his journalist instincts sharp. The letter, still sealed, is hidden in Jimin’s jacket, its “To Tae, from J” a secret he guards. He leans forward, adopting a practiced confidence, his lie ready.
Park jimin
*clearing his throat* Mr. Min, I’m Park Jimin, a journalist. I’m writing a report on a soldier from the DMZ, Jeon Jungkook. Heard he was a hero in ‘05. You served with him, right? Can you tell me about him?
Yoongi’s gaze sharpens, then softens, a flicker of nostalgia crossing his face. He leans back, sipping his tea, and his voice begins to weave a tapestry of Jungkook’s light, each word a brushstroke of memory
Min Yoongi
Jungkook… yeah, I served with him. My lieutenant at the DMZ, ‘05. Calling him a hero doesn’t do him justice. He was an orphan, you know lost his family as a kid, raised himself in grit and heart. Only 25, but he led like he was born for it. Two years, countless missions—patrols through minefields, chasing smugglers, facing North Korean scouts. He saved our squad once, carried a wounded kid through a sniper’s range, took a bullet graze and kept going. Never asked for glory.
Jung Hosoek
That’s incredible. What kind of missions? Any stand out?
Min Yoongi
🙂Too many. We rebuilt villages after floods, escorted civilians through hot zones, saved a school from a landslide. Jungkook was everywhere handing out his rations to hungry kids, fixing farmers’ roofs, singing with locals by firelight. After one mission stopped a border clash that could’ve sparked war the country went wild for him. Letters poured in, hundreds of them. Kids drew him stars, elders called him son. He’d sit in the barracks, reading every one, his smile so big it lit the room
Jimin’s heart skips, imagining Jungkook alone in the world, yet giving it all surrounded by stacks of envelopes, his orphan heart warmed by strangers’ love. He keeps the letter in his jacket, its weight a silent vow, and nudges Yoongi toward more
Park jimin
That’s… amazing. Sounds like he was loved by everyone. Did he have anyone special? Someone who stood out?
Yoongi’s eyes soften, and the café’s hum fades as he speaks of Tae, his voice wrapping their love in a glow that feels sacred
Min Yoongi
Yeah… Tae. He came into his life like a comet. Showed up in ‘05, Tae sent him letters, different from the others. No return address, just ‘Your Star, Tae’ in this flowing script. Jungkook would read them by lantern light, his face… God, it was like he’d found paradise. Tae wrote like they were married, like Jungkook had left him for the military and he was aching for him missing his laugh, dreaming of his touch, promising to wait forever
Hoseok’s pen pauses, his eyes wide. Jimin feels a lump in his throat, picturing Jungkook in the barracks, Tae’s letters his only warmth, their love and a melody in the DMZ’s gray. The hidden letter burns against his chest, its “Tae” echoing Yoongi’s words.
Jung Hosoek
They were in love, then? Those letters sound… intense
Min Yoongi
Love doesn’t cover it. It was… magic. Jungkook was happy, really happy, with Tae’s letters. He’d carry them in his jacket, read them before patrols like they were armor. Tried to find Tae—asked villagers, checked mailboxes but no luck.. It was the kind of love you don’t forget
Jimin’s breath catches, Tae’s “Your Star” glowing in his mind a love so vivid it feels alive. He wants to reveal the letter, but his lie holds him back, and he presses for more
Park jimin
That’s beautiful. What happened to them? Did Jungkook ever find Tae?
Yoongi’s face clouds, his voice heavy with regret
Min Yoongi
I don’t know the whole story. Things got rough jungkook was quieter, like something broke. I left the military in ‘05 when my dad passed, so I missed the end. He was on some big mission, and Tae…. Never knew what happened..
Jung Hosoek
Any idea where Tae might be now? For the report, you know, to get the full picture
Yoongi scribbles a number on a napkin and slides it across, his eyes narrowing but kind
Min Yoongi
No clue where Tae is. It’s been 20 years. But seokjin.. Friend of jungkook... might know something. He was a singer back then... childhood friends with Jungkook. He’s in Busan. Tell him I sent you. And… if you’re writing about Jungkook, do him justice. He was more than a soldier
Yoongi hands Jimin a faded photo Jungkook in his uniform, a stack of letters at his side, his smile soft as if dreaming of Tae. Jimin stares, struck by the warmth in Jungkook’s eyes, an orphan who loved beyond the world’s scars.
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