Intermission 8 - William (1/3)

William, newly released from a time-warped training under his unsettling “master,” returns to Earth stronger and equipped with a new weapon and improved gear. Ignoring old grudges at the ruined mental hospital, he follows guidance to find his former psychologist, Ms. Kim.

He locates Ms. Kim in her damaged suburban home’s basement, where three bandits are threatening her and her unconscious young daughter. After announcing himself, William instantly decapitates one man and eviscerates the other two, revealing his overwhelming strength and indifference to their levels.

William addresses Ms. Kim with unexpected restraint, noting her low level and vulnerability, and expresses a new, tentative interest in empathy and emotions. Seeing her daughter, Seo-Yun, unsettles him yet stays his violence; he shows a sliver of genuine sympathy and suggests they leave the bloody scene.

Outside, Ms. Kim questions his changes. William explains his evolution-driven pursuit to comprehend emotions, influenced by his master, and frames empathy as a tool he wants to control. Ms. Kim counters that emotions are interconnected, insisting she’ll need full disclosure to help him.

William proposes a partnership: he protects Ms. Kim and Seo-Yun while she resumes “talks” to guide his emotional understanding. Ms. Kim agrees with firm rules—protect them, no intimidation or coercion, honesty, and no killing before Seo-Yun. William adds mutual honesty and confidentiality.

William then manifests a karmic contract, displaying the agreed terms, and they seal it with a handshake that includes Seo-Yun. The scene closes with the birth of an unusual trio—protector, therapist, and child—bound by shared survival and William’s quest to grasp emotion.