What If — Season 1
Born too early in 1960s Hong Kong, Lok Chak Shun found refuge in the vibrant world of street comics, where he crossed paths with Lung, a young gangster who pulled him into a life of minor offenses. When someone tampered with Shun’s deeply personal comics at school, his public confrontation with the culprit—a withdrawn art student on the verge of leaving the city—ignited a chain of devastating revelations. Consumed by remorse and reeling from the discovery of his father's betrayal, Shun also found himself caught in the escalating violence of Lung’s gang war. At a pivotal moment, symbolized by a broken kite string, he faced a stark choice: succumb to Lung’s turbulent world and risk imprisonment, chase after a girl and find artistic success shadowed by her sudden departure, or confront his father and fracture his family, leading to a life lived in isolation. Each path reflected Hong Kong's own precarious identity—a city poised between colonial rule and the burgeoning spirit of rebellion. The simple kite, once a symbol of childhood comfort, now represented those irreversible turning points in life: a single, fragile thread that could unravel into decades defined by regret or unexpected new beginnings, all stemming from decisions made during that vulnerable transition from adolescence to adulthood.
The year was 1976. A kite, seemingly of its own accord, drew Shun toward a series of pivotal moments: an encounter with Carol Lam, the painful revelation of his father's infidelity, and the urgent need for his friend Lung to escape. From th…
The revelation of his father's infidelity in 1981 cast a long shadow over Shun's life. He found work as a drafter at a construction firm, a steady, unremarkable existence. Yet, another path had once beckoned: a life with Carol, fueled by th…
Though Shun did not achieve his ambition of becoming chief writer, a letter from Carol offered him encouragement. In this, his third life, Shun was finally granted release from prison. Faced with the necessity of supporting his family, he f…
The death of Lung at the hands of a rival propelled Shun into a position of power, irrevocably drawing him into the underworld. By 1987, Shun had established himself as a formidable figure within the gangster world. In his previous life, ho…
With his rival Shark removed, Shun solidified his power within the criminal world. Later, in a new chapter, the comic artist Shun found himself working for Long Dynasty and encountering Carol once more. In 1991, he launched his own venture,…
Shun, an artist, often thought back to his youthful ambition – to be a comic artist. He’d channeled that desire into a narrative, a comic book in which he laid bare his affection for Carol. In a life lived differently, the 31-year-old Shun …
In 1991, Shun, a civil servant, lived a life of quiet routine. Then he encountered Carol, and his world became unexpectedly complicated. In another iteration of his life, the hardened gangster Shun found himself unable to capture Carol's at…
As his kin and companions drifted away, gangster Shun forged a deep connection with Erica, finding in her a semblance of family and friendship. In 1997, the civil servant Shun had envisioned a move to the United Kingdom with his family. Yet…
Shun, a civil servant, found himself in disagreement with his wife regarding the timing of his move to the UK. Meanwhile, Erica attempted to persuade him to remain in his current position with the promise of a promotion. In a different iter…
Artist Shun had a habit of transforming pain into inspiration, and his latest work proved to be another resounding success. The year 2003 marked a significant point in his career, yet it was also a year shadowed by tragedy for someone he he…
The allure of dishonesty proved a breaking point for civil servant Shun; his wife sought a divorce in response. In 2008, both he and Erica became implicated in a corruption investigation. She accepted the consequences, choosing exile. Years…
Shun, a man of the underworld, abandoned his plans to flee the city for the sake of Erica. In 2008, he accepted the blame in a corruption case and spent his days behind bars. Upon his release, he married her. Three lives, three fates, ultim…
