'Kenshin' was gravely injured. In his fading consciousness, he recalled the words he once said to 'Yukishiro'—the promise to leave it all behind and retreat into a quiet life together.
Muttering the name of that place under his breath, that faraway dream and solemn vow, he trudged through the snow, step by agonizing step, drawing closer to Yukishiro at the mountaintop.
At this moment, Kenshin's heart held nothing but her.
His final opponent stood before him—but Kenshin, blind, deaf, and critically wounded, was mercilessly beaten down.
"I took from you the one you cherished most…"
"I'm not worthy of protecting you. But even so, I…"
"I will… protect you!"
With the last of his strength, Kenshin swung his sword—only for it to strike Yukishiro.
Because she had stepped in front of him, shielding him from a fatal blow, his blade pierced both her and their enemy, ending both lives in a single stroke.
An Min stared, utterly stunned.
"How could this happen?"
"How could the screenwriter write this?"
"Why did Yukishiro have to do this?"
"Ugh… I can't take it anymore. I held back my tears this whole time, but this… this is too much."
"Was this really necessary? Seriously, was it?"
"God, what kind of sadistic writer would plan this?!"
The theater audience was visibly distressed, whispering in frustration despite trying to stay quiet. They couldn't accept what they'd just seen.
An Min couldn't either.
Just a moment ago, he was still touched by Kenshin's determination to protect Yukishiro until his dying breath.
And the next? Yukishiro leaping into his blade, choosing to die with him and their enemy—it was overwhelming.
This film was cruel.
And the cruelest moment was still to come.
Yukishiro, dying in Kenshin's arms, took out the dagger she'd hidden all along and pressed it against the still-bleeding sword scar left by Akira, her former fiancé, on Kenshin's face.
She carved a second wound across it—forming a cross.
"Forgive me… my husband."
That line shattered An Min's composure completely.
His nose stung, his vision blurred.
Kiyosato Akira was her fiancé. But Kenshin… was her husband.
In the final moment of her life, Yukishiro had made her choice between the two.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
But he couldn't look away—not even for a second.
Kenshin burned her body along with the house they once shared.
He made a new vow—to fulfill the other promise he had given Yukishiro: to end the chaos, to lay down his sword, and to never kill again.
The final scenes were a montage of Kenshin's continued battles across the war-torn land.
But he always wore Yukishiro's scarf.
Time and again, he emerged from battle, surviving by sheer will. But his eyes—no longer wavered.
In the very last shot…
Kenshin, holding his sword, drifted into sleep—Yukishiro's scarf still wrapped around his neck.
And behind him, her spirit embraced him from the shadows.
Though she was gone, the transformation she brought to his heart… never left.
An Min stared at the frozen final frame.
At the spot where a young Kenshin once buried bandits in the past… now stood a post, tied with Yukishiro's scarf.
End of Trust & Betrayal.
The entire theater fell silent.
Not a sound.
An Min included—unable to speak.
It was brutal.
Everyone had been emotionally wrecked.
And yet… underneath the heartache was a profound sense of catharsis.
The love between Kenshin and Yukishiro, though they stood on opposite sides, was real. Their final choices… her silent protection even after death…
An Min checked the time. Two hours had flown by.
And an aching emptiness spread through his chest.
If only the screenwriter had just a bit more compassion…
If only Yukishiro hadn't died…
How could anyone sleep after an ending like this?
The lights came on. The cinema was gently reminding them it was time to leave.
Only then did the audience start rising, reluctantly.
More whispers surrounded him.
"This movie is a masterpiece."
"I never cry during films… but I couldn't hold it in this time."
"I watched 'Original Sin' this afternoon and thought 8.2 wasn't fair—it was such a great film. But now, seeing 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' sitting at 9.4, I get it. 'Original Sin's 8.2 is actually generous."
"Why was such a brilliant movie so poorly marketed?! I wouldn't have known about it if you hadn't dragged me here."
"I only came because the lead actor, Jing Yu, was great in 'Initial D'. I figured I'd give this a shot... but I never expected something this powerful! Why hasn't Jing Yu done more movies sooner?!"
"I'm recommending this to everyone I know. I'm not suffering alone."
An Min left the theater. It was already 10 PM.
But emotionally, he was still buried in the world of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'.
He checked online reviews.
The Yindou Net score had jumped to 9.5, and the total box office had reached 71 million.
In his drama group chat, people were still passionately discussing the film.
"I cried myself numb."
"Why did Yukishiro have to die?!"
"That scarf scene was everything. It elevated the whole story."
"Was Kenshin a real person? That late Great Shang Empire period felt so bleak."
"History was even crueler than the film. Maybe there were ten, a hundred warriors like Kenshin. But they left no names behind."
"If there's a Trust & Betrayal chapter… does that mean there are more chapters to come?"
"Wait—this was just one chapter?!"
"If there's more, let them write Yukishiro back to life!"
"She turned to ash! How would they even explain that?"
"Come on—remember 'Shenlong Pavilion 2'? The female lead fell into lava in part one, and she still came back in part two. Said some lava monster saved her. At least Kenshin didn't actually see Yukishiro burn to ash. He left as soon as the fire started. They could say she only fainted and someone rescued her!"
"Why not go full fantasy? Say she absorbed nature's essence and became a zombie! Call the sequel Rurouni Kenshin: Zombie Edition—undying love between man and zombie!"
"Stop. That would ruin everything. I'm heartbroken that she died, but cheap tricks like that would insult her character."
"Can you jokers stop trolling? We're still trying to process our feelings, and you're ruining the mood."
"Seriously, show some respect to Yukishiro. Who even thinks of zombies at a time like this? You got no heart?"
"I was just trying to lighten the mood… Everyone was so wrecked…"
The group kept going—some serious, some teasing—debating the film long into the night.
An Min hesitated.
It was already late, but he still bought a 10:30 PM ticket to rewatch 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'.
If I'm going to be heartbroken... I might as well do it properly.
He had fallen in love with Kenshin and Yukishiro both.
Not rewatching would be an injustice to this film.
As for his original plan to watch 'Mirror Fish', 'Original Sin', and 'Torchlight'?
Those thoughts had vanished completely.
Once he finished crying over 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'... maybe then he'd consider the others.