The Story of Mary Episode 1 - Season 1

Guarding duties

Kei loved fan meetings. The energy of his fans, their excitement, and their heartfelt stories always lifted his spirits. But as the hours wore on, exhaustion began to creep in. Still, he remained enthusiastic, greeting each fan warmly as he signed albums and posed for photos.

As the crowd thinned and the event began winding down, Kei prepared to leave. With his manager at his side, he gathered his belongings and walked toward the exit. Just as they stepped into the hallway, he saw her.

His breath hitched.

Mary Manson.

She was unmistakable. Her picture from the back cover of her novel, Enchantia, did no justice to the woman before him. She sat in a stiff plastic chair, scrolling through her phone with a focused, almost anxious expression. Her light-brown skin seemed to glow under the harsh hallway lighting, her big, bouncy curls framing her face like a halo. Kei couldn’t believe it.

The author of his favorite book was here.

“Hey,” he said softly, his voice surprisingly tentative.

Mary glanced up, her expression uneasy at first. But as soon as she recognized him, her face lit up with a radiant smile.

“Oh, hey! It’s you! Hi,” she said, her voice warm and excited.

Kei chuckled, scratching the back of his head nervously. “Haha… yeah, it’s me.” He gave her a small smile. “I was kind of surprised to find you here… It’s, uh, nice to meet you in person.”

Mary’s eyes widened. “Oh my gods… I’m here for the fan meeting. Uhmm… sorry. The guard is sorting out my ticket and hasn’t come back yet.”

Kei’s gaze dropped to her hands, where she clutched her ticket tightly, almost as if it were a lifeline. He couldn’t help but smile at her grip—it was a mix of determination and nervousness, and he found it endearing.

“You don’t have to apologize,” he said gently. “I kind of guessed you were since you’re holding onto your ticket like it’s a golden treasure.”

Mary chuckled awkwardly. “Oh… yeah. The guard said my ticket looked fake, so I showed him my bank statement to prove I paid for it. Then he wanted to take my ticket and show it to his manager, but I refused to let it go. So he took a picture of it and said he’d ask his manager. He told me to wait here… It’s been three hours now. Is… the meeting over?”

Kei’s heart sank. He had heard of situations like this before. Racism, unfortunately, wasn’t uncommon, and his blood boiled at the thought that Mary might have been a victim of it.

“Three hours…?” Kei’s voice softened, tinged with disbelief. He took a step closer and sat in the chair beside her. “You’ve been sitting here for three hours?”

Mary nodded, her expression calm but resigned. “Yeah… his manager must be hard to find. But I’m happy to see you.” She hesitated for a moment before continuing,

“Uhmm… I don’t want to be rude or anything, but… this might be my only chance, so…”

From her bag, Mary pulled out a beautifully wrapped gift in see-through paper. Kei immediately recognized the brand. It was an exclusive, high-end perfume he had mentioned wanting during an Instagram live months ago—one that wasn’t available in Korea.

“I brought you a gift,” she said shyly, handing it to him. “You said once in a livestream you liked these perfumes, but they’re hard to get. I just came back from the … where they sell them, so I figured, if I’m coming to meet you, I’d bring you this.”

Kei stared at the gift in astonishment. “Are you serious?”

Mary nodded. “Yes. You’ve made me smile so many times, so here’s a small gift in return.”

Kei’s heart swelled at her words. For a moment, he was at a loss. She had remembered an offhand comment he’d made and gone out of her way to bring him something so thoughtful.

He carefully took the present from her hands, smiling warmly. “I can’t believe you remembered that I said I wanted this perfume…”

Mary grinned. “It wasn’t so hard to notice.”

As Kei opened the wrapping, his eyes widened at the sight of the bottle. He gently ran his fingers over the glass, still unable to believe her kindness. “You really got me this?”

Mary nodded happily.

Kei shook his head, his voice soft. “I don’t know what to say… This is incredible. I can’t accept this—it must have cost you a fortune.”

But before she could respond, his eyes flicked to her ticket, still clutched tightly in her hand.

He remembered why she was here, what she had endured, and how unjust the situation was.

“Can I see your ticket?” he asked.

Mary hesitated. Her grip on the ticket tightened briefly before she carefully passed it to him.

Kei read the details: Venue Entry Pass. Event: SHINee Kei Special Fan Meet. Shawol Meetup. Time: 17:00-20:00. Price: $569.

Kei frowned deeply. The ticket was expensive, and she had spent so much only to be treated unfairly. He could see the nerves in her eyes as she waited for his response.

Mary gave a small, sad smile. “I’m glad I did get to see you,” she said softly.

Kei’s chest tightened. Her words were bittersweet, and the unfairness of it all clawed at him. “No… I’m sorry. This isn’t fair,” he said firmly.

Mary glanced away, trying to keep her composure. “It’s okay. Let’s not make a scene, okay?”

Kei didn’t like her response. He could see the underlying frustration and hurt in her calm demeanor, and it only made him angrier.

“Why aren’t you mad? This is not fair,” he pressed.

Mary sighed. “Oh, I’m mad. I just don’t want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me pop off so they can tell themselves they were right all along.”

Her restraint impressed and frustrated him at the same time. She was so strong, but the situation was still unacceptable.

“Could you… sign my copy of your album, please?” Mary asked, changing the subject.

Kei took a deep breath and nodded. “Of course. I’ll sign it for you.”

She handed him the album, but before he could start signing, she looked over his shoulder. Her tone turned cautious. “I’m sorry, but you might want to make that quick… the guard is back, and he doesn’t look very happy.”

Kei turned to see the guard striding toward them with a scowl on his face.

The guard’s heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway as he approached, arms crossed and his expression thunderous. His gaze landed on Mary, cold and dismissive.

“Are you done making a scene?” he barked, his tone dripping with condescension.

Kei felt a surge of anger rise in his chest. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to keep calm.

Mary, however, met the guard’s glare with remarkable composure.

“Good day, sir. I see you have returned from your previous quest of verifying my entry ticket?” she said, her tone polite but pointed.

The guard’s frown deepened. “Yes… I’ve spoken to the manager, who sent me back here to talk to you.” He held out his hand, his impatience clear. “Now, I need to see the ticket again.”

Mary’s fingers instinctively tightened around the ticket. Her voice remained steady as she replied, “I seem to remember you taking a picture of it. You should have it in your phone. There’s no need to see my ticket again.”

The guard’s nostrils flared, his frustration evident. “Why are you being so difficult? Hand over the ticket. Now.” He extended his hand further, his tone more forceful.

Kei’s patience was wearing thin. Watching the guard treat Mary with such blatant disrespect made his blood boil. He swallowed his anger for the moment, determined to handle this without escalating the situation—for now.

The guard snatched the ticket from Mary’s hand, inspecting it as though it were counterfeit. His eyes scrutinized every detail, and his sneer only deepened.

“Are you sure this isn’t fake?” he asked, his tone accusatory.

Mary lifted her chin slightly, her calm demeanor unwavering. “I’m sure. I already showed you my bank statements and the confirmation email of my order.”

The guard let out a derisive snort, finally handing the ticket back to her. “It seems like it checks out,” he muttered, his disinterest in resolving the matter clear. Then, with a smirk, he added, “Too bad the event is over.”

Mary’s calm exterior almost cracked. Tears of anger and frustration welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away quickly, refusing to let them fall. Kei saw it, though, and his heart broke.

“Sir, I will take my leave then,” Mary said, her voice firm despite the emotion behind it. She turned to Kei with a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “May I have my album, please?”

Kei nodded, his mind racing. He had been silently scribbling something in the corner of her album, and now he closed it quickly, handing it back to her. “Of course.”

Mary took the album carefully and held it close. Her smile was more genuine now, though still tinged with sadness. “Thank you, Kei. It was an honor to meet you.”

Kei clenched his jaw, his fury barely contained as he watched her turn and walk away.

Mary: Good day gentlemen.

Key clenched his jaw even tighter and gritted his teeth when she called the guard a “gentleman”. The guard on the other hand rolled his eyes at her 

Guard: “Yeah..yeah..just leave..”

Key felt his fist wanting to connect to the guards face as they stood there watching her leave. He couldn’t believe how cruel and unfair this was. She had been so happy to see him..and this stupid guard had to ruin it just because she was a person of color 

Mary smiled her last smile at Key before turning on her heel and walking into the direction of the exit. 

With every step she took, Key wished she would find his number in her album later tonight 

He just stood there watching her walk away with a very forced smile. He could tell just by looking at her that she wasn’t happy at all.

She was holding back her emotions and Key just wanted to reach out and pull her back. But he couldn’t..not in the current situation they were in. He clenched his jaw even tighter as she walked farther away from him, trying to resist the urge to just run to her and stop her 

And then she was gone. It was only Key and the guard now. He could feel the anger and frustration build up inside after she left. It was like all his anger and frustration were directed toward the guard..and he had a really hard time holding himself back

Guard: “Wow… that was dramatic.”

The guard said in a nonchalant tone, clearly unbothered by what had just happened. Kei looked at him with a death glare.

Kei: “Can’t you show some human decency for once?”

He almost raised his voice at him, his patience running out as he spoke through clenched teeth.

Guard: “For her? No.”

The guard spoke coldly and with no compassion at all, like Mary was a piece of dirt to him. All Kei could feel was pure anger.

Kei: “Why do you hate her so much? Is she an ex?”

Kei was practically demanding answers now. He could no longer hold back the frustration and anger in his tone.

Guard: “No. I don’t date people like that.”

He had said it in such an arrogant manner that Kei was close to punching him.

Kei: “People like what? What is that supposed to mean?”

Kei’s voice rose a bit again. He was slowly losing his self-control as his anger took over.

The guard smirked a bit, almost glad that he could provoke a reaction from Kei.

Guard: “You know…”

He paused for a moment and just looked at Kei, as if he was looking for a specific reaction.

Kei: almost shouting “No. I don’t know. Spit it out and say what you mean.”

Guard: “C… Calm down, Boss. You’re being dramatic.”

The guard tried to downplay the situation, but it only pissed Kei off even more.

Kei: “Me?! Dramatic?! You were trying to kick out a fan for no reason, just because she’s a person of color! I have every right to be pissed.”

Guard: “She shouldn’t have come in the first place and tried to see you anyway. That’s just a K-culture groupie. From a lower rank…”

He spoke so casually, without any remorse. Kei was so close to snapping at him but tried his hardest to keep a grip on himself, taking a deep breath and clenching his teeth again.

Kei: speaking through gritted teeth “She wasn’t a fan groupie… she is a fan, and you screwed her over just because she’s a person of color. You know damn well you wouldn’t have done the same if it was a white person.”

The guard seemed taken aback a bit. He did not expect Kei to have that much of a backbone, especially when it came to defending a fan.

Guard: “Well… I was… just doing my job…”

Kei let out a laugh in disbelief.

Kei: “Just doing your job? Since when is kicking out fans and being blatantly racist a part of your job?”

Guard: “You are way too soft. She was most likely just a fan who wanted your autograph and some pics so she could brag about it on Instagram. It wouldn’t look good for your image.”

The guard spoke so nonchalantly and with such arrogance. Kei wasn’t just angry anymore, he was now fuming.

Kei: “Who are YOU to decide what is good for my image or not?! And even if that was the case, it’s none of your damn business!”

Guard: “It is very much my business. I’m part of your security team. Our job is to make sure you’re safe and that no one takes advantage of you.”

Kei: “Then do your job and make sure that your team isn’t full of racists and bigots who can treat people like human beings!”

Guard: “Boss… you’re an idol. That means you represent us. Koreans. Asians. You should be our pride. It would look bad if that pride becomes contaminated.”

Kei: “Contaminated?! She’s not a damn disease!”

Kei was practically shouting now, losing all self-control.

Guard: “But her culture is. She is not like us. They are not like us. We are pure. Civilized. Cultured. Not like them. You will lower your ranking if you hang in with the wrong crowd.”

Kei: “I will lower my ranking? How the hell would she lower my ranking? This is unbelievable…”

Kei was so utterly dumbfounded by this that he could barely find words. He couldn’t believe the bullshit coming from this damn guard’s mouth.

Guard: “That’s the social standard. How whiter, how righter.”

Kei was just looking at him in sheer disbelief. He couldn’t believe that an adult, a person in his 30s, was sitting here saying such racist bullshit that even a 5-year-old shouldn’t be saying. At this point, Kei had just had enough. He was about to lose it.

Kei: “So now we’re going by skin color?!” he almost shouted “Do you not see how insane that sounds?! There is no difference in value between a person with white or black skin! So if you keep spouting that bullshit, then you might as well get your ass fired!”

Guard: “But, Boss, I’m only telling the truth. It’s the social order, how to keep everything balanced. Some people are just not meant for the top.”

Kei: “Not meant for the top? Just because of their skin color?! So what? They are supposed to be a bottom rank just because of their skin color?! What, you’re telling me my success and rank should be based on my goddamn skin color?!”

Guard: “That’s what I’m saying. That’s how this system works.”

Kei: “And that seems okay to you?!” Kei was practically shouting at this point. He couldn’t hold the anger any longer. This nonsense the guard was spouting was not only racist bullshit but also downright crazy.

Guard: “At least I’m not on the bottom of the pyramid, and I’m close to the top. So I’m not bothered. I like this system because it benefits me.”

Kei’s jaw was close to dropping now. He was so pissed off that he had to take a minute or two just to breathe and gather himself.

Kei: “So you’re okay with a system, not because it’s a fair and good system, but solely because it benefits you?”

Guard: “Yes. Just like everybody does.”

Kei just looked at this guard with the most dumbfounded and enraged expression on his face. This guard was so delusional, and he was basically openly admitting to being a goddamn racist.

Guard: “It’s a good system, Boss. Be happy you’re born to be part of better ranks just by being born with the right skin tone. That is just amazing. You don’t want to throw that away by infusing with the bottom line barrel-eaters. Keep this pure and going.”

Kei: “You’re a goddamn psycho…”

Kei almost whispered, as he was so enraged that he couldn’t even raise his voice at him. In disbelief, he just stood there for a few seconds looking at the man who was basically confessing to being a racist scumbag.

Guard: “At least I’m not black.”

Kei: “That’s it! I’m firing your goddamn ass! I’m not gonna have a racist on my security team!”

Guard: “But, Boss, I’m one of the best members on the team. You can’t just—”

Kei: “That’s the problem with the world these days. People like you don’t get punished. They don’t get shamed enough for upholding a system that is so corrupt and wrong, that the ones who benefit from it would rather keep it intact than try to shatter it. Well, I’m not that type of coward.”

The guard was dumbfounded for a few moments, not expecting Kei to say something so deep—almost like a mini speech he had been thinking about for a very long time.

Kei: “You might have privileges, and you might be successful in this world, but the one thing you will never have is real respect. If you think you get respect, you are highly mistaken. You are not respected, you are feared because you use your privilege and power to keep others down. People like you will eventually get what’s coming for them…”

The guard was just speechless. Kei had a way with words, and he wasn’t afraid to use them. The guard wasn’t ready for that. He just looked at Kei, speechless and intimidated.

Kei: “You’re fired. People like you shouldn’t work in a facility where people share art. It’s too beautiful to be tainted by the likes of you.”

The guard was still speechless. He was dumbfounded and just stood there trying to process what was happening. He hadn’t even seen it coming.

Kei: “Pack your stuff and get the hell out of the building. You’re done here. I don’t want you polluting my life with your bullshit.”

The guard just stood there for a few moments before finally finding the courage to say something.

Guard: “Y… You’re seriously gonna fire me over some fan?”

Kei: “It’s not just the fan thing. I’m showing you a protest against that goddamn system of yours. Now get out!”

Guard: “This is ridiculous! I have a family to take care of! You can’t just kick me out!!”

Kei: “Feels like a violation, huh? When someone doesn’t believe in your so-called ‘privileges.’”

The guard was clenching his jaw

Key: “hope you learned a lesson here.

Guards! Take him away.”

Guards: “Yes Sir!”

The guards came in and walked over, grabbing the fired guard on both arms

As the disgraced guard was dragged away, Kei stood alone in the hallway, his heart still pounding. His thoughts drifted back to Mary. He hoped she would find his number scrawled in the corner of her album. He hoped she would call him.

And most of all, he hoped she knew just how much she mattered.