Yen and Ai-Lee

Yen killed her father to protect her mother Ai-Lee from his abuse. In the opening sequence, she cycles to the police station drenched in blood to surrender after the killing. The act was motivated by her loyalty to her mother and the dangerous situation at home, establishing her moral compass despite the severe consequences she would face.

Allie is revealed to actually be Yen, the same person who took on a different identity. In the drama class, after wearing a white mourning cloth and delivering an emotional performance about her deceased father, she reveals her real name is Yen. This suggests she may have been living under an alias, possibly connected to the family secrets and the mysterious mistress from her father's past.

The story hints at this through the mysterious resemblance and Allie's fascination with the 'filial piety daughters' role in drama class.

Yen initially refuses when the mistress asks her to care for Wei, her younger half-brother. However, when the mistress leaves Wei outside Ai-Lee's grocery store, Yen feels pity for the child and takes him to Cheng, a former classmate, asking him to keep Wei safe. This decision reflects Yen's struggle between loyalty to her mother and her growing sense of responsibility toward her family, even the unfamiliar parts of it.

Ai-Lee explains to Yen that selling fake scratchcards is necessary for survival. After Yen went to prison and the family lost stability, Ai-Lee resorted to the illegal scheme to make money. When Yen confronts her about it, Ai-Lee blames Yen for destabilizing the family in the first place. This subplot reveals the economic desperation the family faces after Yen's imprisonment.

Ai-Lee stops selling fake scratchcards after the confrontation with Ren and even slaps him when he pressures her to continue. A passing policeman intervenes before Ren can retaliate with violence. Later, when Yen bails Ai-Lee from the police station, Ai-Lee reveals she made Ren move out and stood up to him specifically to bring Yen home. This marks a turning point where Ai-Lee chooses her daughter over the abusive relationship.

Yen is drawn to a drama class advertisement one month after returning home. Through caring for Wei and engaging with acting, she forms a deeper bond with him and begins to see a path toward healing. The drama program becomes a mirror for her suppressed emotions, especially when she performs scenes about difficult family relationships and loss.

The mistress claims to be Yen's deceased father's other woman. She contacts Yen and urges her to take care of Wei, her younger half-brother. Yen investigates and discovers through uncollected letters that the mistress once worked at a community college before resigning. The mysterious woman represents the hidden parts of Yen's family past that begin surfacing after her release.

When Yen learns Ai-Lee has ended up at the police station, she returns to Meinong to bail her out. This act signifies a reversal of their relationship, now Yen is the one helping her mother. During this moment, Ai-Lee tells Yen that Ren has moved out and that she stood up to him to bring Yen home. Yen finally voices her complicated feelings about her father to Ai-Lee, initiating deeper reconciliation.

Ren moves out of Ai-Lee's home by the film's end. After Ren threatens violence against Ai-Lee at the grocery store and a policeman intervenes, Ai-Lee decides to end the relationship. She tells Yen that she made Ren leave specifically so Yen could come home safely. This departure clears the path for Yen and Ai-Lee to begin rebuilding their relationship.

In drama class, Allie wears a white mourning cloth and delivers an emotionally charged performance imagining conversations with her deceased father. This brings her to tears and showcases her ability to confront painful emotions through acting. The moment foreshadows her later revelation that her real name is Yen, suggesting acting helps her process the trauma she shares with the actual Yen.