The Scent of the First Snow: A Luminous Second Chance Under the Gyeongju Moonlight

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?