The first episode of the Nippon Television drama series "Punch-Drunk Woman: Only XX Days Left Until Prison Break" (Sundays at 10:30 PM), starring actress Shinohara Ryoko, aired on January 11th. In one scene, Shinohara plays a female prison guard named Fuyuki Kozue, who meets Kusaka Reiji (played by Jesse), who has been transferred to a detention center on suspicion of murdering his own father, and the relationship between the two has attracted attention on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers.
In the first episode, Kozue, a prison guard who serves as the head of the "Women's Ward" of Hikawa Detention Center, an area where only women are held, is always disciplined, calm, collected, does not interfere with others, is not swayed by emotions, and carries out her duties honestly. All of this is to maintain order within the closed walls. She should have lived a strict life, both towards others and herself.
One day, Reiji is transferred to the prison on suspicion of murdering his own father. Kozue gasps at the familiar sight of his face. The prison guards keep a close eye on Reiji, who intimidates those around him with his sharp gaze. Kozue also tries to hide her agitation and maintain a resolute attitude, but Reiji causes one problem after another, which seems to upset Kozue.
Meanwhile, Saeki (Naohito Fujiki), the detective in charge of Reiji's case, tells Kozue about Reiji's case. Reiji, who had never gotten along with his father, Kusaka Haruomi (Takezai Terunosuke), left home when he was in high school, but returned home for the first time in 10 years to attend his mother's funeral. Later, Reiji's uncle, Kusaka Akihiko (Osumi Kenya), witnessed Reiji leaving Haruomi's house covered in blood. Inside the house, Haruomi's body was found, having been stabbed repeatedly in the chest. A bloody knife was found nearby, and Reiji's fingerprints were found on it, leading to his arrest a few days later. However, he is said to have remained silent.
Returning to the Metropolitan Police Department, Saeki compiles the documents on the Haruomi case and confides to his subordinate Sorimachi Kosaku (Masaki Reiya), "Haruomi was my best friend. Ours."
Later, a fight breaks out between Reiji and a group led by Tokai Kenji (Takahashi Tsutomu), a former junior leader of the Kanto Ryuo-kai, in the detention center's exercise yard. Seeing Reiji being hit with a baton by a security guard, Kozue is conflicted and then instinctively starts running. As tension builds between Kozue, who stands to protect Reiji, and the detention center's treatment director, Koyanagi Taisuke (Ukaji Takeshi), Reiji whispers in her ear, "Let's run away together." Kozue turns around in shock, and Reiji holds out his hand to her, and at that moment, a flashback to the past occurs in her mind. In her memory, Kozue says "Haruomi" to the man who holds out his hand to her, saying, "Let's run away together...Kozue."
On social media, many people were paying attention to Kozue's relationship with Reiji and Reiji's father, Haruomi. Comments such as "Is Reiji the son of Haruomi and Kozue?", "Were Haruomi and Kozue actually in love?", "I'm also curious about the relationship between Kozue, Saeki, and Kusaka Haruomi", "Is it a love triangle between the parents' generation?", and "Kozue was once in a romantic relationship with Reiji's father, so seeing Reiji brings back memories?" were posted.
