Agent Kim Reactivated: The heartbreaking origin story of Number 66

SBS TV's latest K-thriller Agent Kim Reactivated starring So Ji-sub has recently dropped the season finale but the social media buzz is far from over. With an ensemble line-up of Korean stars and an uncoventional revenge plot, the show has won the hearts of millions of viewers in a very short time.

The story revolves around a former North-South Korean undercover agent Mr. Kim who left his tumultuous past behind to live a quiet life with his only daughter who lost her mother during birth. However, the plot starts to unfurl when Kim's daughter Min-ji gets attacked abducted which forces the former to resort to violence with two more ex-operatives and friends.

Kim's sudden activity raises eyebrows in the National Special Missions Bureau. As he embarks on a dangerous journey to rescue his child, the show subtly drops glimpses of his past life and a hearbreaking story of an orphan who turned into a millitant operative.

The origin story of Number 66

Agent Kim Reactivated Episode 4 dropped flashbacks from 1997 in a North Korean orphanage where Kim's life began. The top military people are seen scouting the most brave, resilient and dedicated young athletes to train them for infiltrating the south as soldiers.

Kim's journey starts with a promise of enough food for the remaining life. But little did he know that it would come at a gruesome cost and tragic losses, more than the ones he had already faced.

The boys of the orphanage along with Kim agree with this setup only to become the victims of the most cruel recruitment process - the one which starts with a brutal hand-to-hand combat. Only the strongest boy, Park yeon-gwang survives and everyone else is seen struggling with fatal injuries.

Amidst the brawl, a second boy manages to pull himself up and grab the feet of Park which impresses the supreme leader of the North Korean military - this is where Kim rises. From harsh military trainings to surprise attacks at nights, Park and Kim go through a traumatizing phase along with young soliders from all over the country.

Those you make it to the next rounds are allowed to live and the others are just ruthlessly butchered by the facist leaders. Kim grows up in an environment of fear and pain and continuous torture - the end goal is to make the young trainees as tough as possible.

While many of the soliders perish this inhuman routine, Kim and Park manage to pass each stage and get the titles of Number 66 and Number 73 respectively. While initially the two had a hostile relationship, with time they settled their differences over time. Sadly, 73 dies while on their first mission to the South ends in an ambush.

Surprisingly, Agent Kim (66) becomes the only survivor in the incident and becomes the subject of doubt for both the countries. Years later, when Kim's daughter Min-ji is kidnapped following an attack from one of her rich schoolmates (whose father is a wealthy and renowned construction tycoon), his past comes back to haunt him.

So does the brother of Number 66 who also believes Kim was involved in Park's death. While Agent Kim stands at a crossroad where his past meets his present, his origin story adds an even more emotional layer to the plot. He takes on the identity of Number 66 after Park dies tragically but is never accepted as the true Agent 66.

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