Original subtitles

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.

CHILD ACTORS AND ANIMALS WERE FILMED IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAFETY GUIDELINES.

Woongsan was a mining town.

There, each day, I lived a powerless existence.

Those who lost their jobs after the mine shut down

turned to the bottle for solace every day.

MINERS UNITE FOR SURVIVAL

Some even left in a hurry

in search of another life.

The remaining miners in company housing, awaiting their eviction allowance,

fell into two groups.

Those with money drank and played cards.

Those without lashed out,

and took it out on their wives and kids.

The small town

with the string of murders…

- Sir! - …and the police who held the line.

- You need to calm down. - Police?

- Calm down. - Do you know me?

- Calm down. - This doesn't concern you!

- Please calm down. - Mind your own business.

Are you all right?

- Hey. - Come on now, sir.

- Please take a breath. - Hey.

Do not resort to violence.

- Use your words. - Did you report me?

- You should not resort to violence. - Tell me. Why would you call the police?

Come on now. Grab your jacket.

I'll kill you, damn it.

Grab your jacket.

- Go inside. Go on! - Why I…

Stop staring!

Get your ass in here!

I am Corporal Choi Jung-ho from Woongsan Police Station.

If you need help,

just blink for me.

I will help you.

What are you doing? Get your ass in here.

Ma'am.

What are you doing with that damn cop?

Get your ass up here right now.

Do I need to beat more sense into you?

Every day as I patrolled,

all I could do was send out signals to the people.

"The police are out here."

"The police are nearby."

Even when I knew such warnings were useless,

I could not stop.

That town was completely enshrouded

in the air of criminality.

I could not leave that place behind.

Before I knew it, that hell had seeped into my soul

as I watched

another day pass me by.

Have you finally come to your senses?

You should thank me for not using hot water.

Get in there!

How dare you show such disrespect to your noble husband?

Have I knocked some sense into you now?

Have I? Well?

Tell me.

He thought there'd be

a well around because we were in the countryside.

And even at the hospital.

What is he? The god of investigations?

How are all his guesses right?

He does get it right every time.

I'm not the only one who finds it weird, right?

He must have a secret…

Seo Gu-wan.

Could he have cajoled all this intel out of him?

Seo knew about Jeong I-shin's first murder.

My goodness. That must be it.

But why?

He knew about the hospital and the well.

He knew about everything but just acted like he didn't?

No. That's not it.

It's not, but…

Why is this bugging me so much?

Eun-ae.

What are you doing?

You shouldn't be in here. Come out! Now!

Hey, Su-yeol.

Yes.

When she was young,

we lost her mother. It was just the two of us.

We didn't have the best relationship.

We barely talked

and she was never home.

She couldn't wait to leave home.

What's wrong? Are you hungry?

That red. Who's that signal for?

What signal?

This.

You wore it yesterday.

Did you spill something on it? Why would you wash it after one wear?

I-shin.

I'm not that narrow-minded.

Are you hiding something?

You can tell me. What are you hiding?

I-shin, what are you hiding from me?

She moved out as soon as she came of age.

I barely managed to find her after asking all over.

I-shin, why must you keep hiding things from me?

I found out that her husband

was well known for being the town's scum.

What are you hiding from me?

I could clearly tell what sort of life she was living,

but I couldn't do anything for her.

Out of concern,

I visited her secretly a few times just to see

how she was doing.

I was there that night as well.

Stop it!

How could you?

You should've made her turn herself in or at least reported it to the police.

If you had reported her then,

we could've stopped it there, at the very least.

She killed five more people after that.

That woman murdered them.

Why did you just stand by and watch?

I was going to!

But I just couldn't bring myself to.

I couldn't do that to my own daughter.

I'm her father! I can't ruin my kid's life like that.

Yes, I know.

I am selfish.

I committed an unforgivable sin.

With repentance in mind, I raised you,

and even took other kids in.

But that doesn't undo what I did.

I will never stop paying for my sins.

Anyhow, the active killer is someone who knows about this.

Have you told anyone about this?

Who would I share this with?

No one knows.

Anyhow, Su-yeol,

you need to end it here.

She is as good as dead.

I even made a gravesite for her.

Up until now,

we've carried on as if she were actually dead.

The whole world may not know, but you do.

You're sitting here today because we did all that.

I know.

But this is my job.

If you continue seeing your mother,

do you think it'll just end when the job is done?

That's not how the world works.

Must you

be the one to catch that killer?

My own mother

claims I am the reason behind her first murder.

I need to catch him.

That woman killed six people.

And now, there's a bastard who is following in her footsteps.

At this moment,

we have ten dead people.

I am to blame for the start of those ten murders.

I need to catch the killer.

After that…

I'll be able to live my life.

The culprit knew parts of your past

that even the police didn't know.

So, we'll start with Yeonpo.

These were the neighbors you had back then.

By chance, do you remember any of them?

CRIMINAL HISTORY NAMBU POLICE AGENCY

I don't see how he could've witnessed my dad's incident.

It's possible. He was our neighbor.

But he was an alcoholic scumbag too.

"Assault,

sexual harassment,

and habitual gambling."

He was predisposed to crime.

And the chances he's the copycat killer?

Do you remember anything?

Jung-yeon.

Is she resilient?

Would she stay by your side even after

the world finds out about me?

I'd leave then.

Are you just going to let that district office worker be?

SEO GU-WAN

Then, what should I do?

Should I kill him?

Do you think you can do it?

I'll do it.

What?

When you find yourself

uncomfortable or displeased,

do you just kill the person involved first?

I'm not like that.

And I will protect my family.

Can you drop this concerned family act already?

Let that be your warning.

I won't ask nicely next time.

Do you remember anything about him?

His son.

Do you remember him?

I do.

What about his son?

His mom left them when he was young.

He was deeply lonely as a child,

and also quite emotionally fragile.

He was always over our house.

I noticed a wound on his body one day.

And every day, he would show up with a new one.

Child abuse?

So I went to see that damn father of his…

You scared me…

Min-jae made it seem as if his abuse

was worse than it actually was.

Why?

That's what kids do when they want attention.

There was only so much I could do to take care of him on my end.

So?

That's all.

That's not enough.

He saw me.

I'm sure when he saw me on the news,

he found out I used anesthesia shots.

When he realized I was there to kill his father,

how do you think he felt?

He believed Jeong I-shin was there to save him?

Yes.

It's quite likely he did.

Park Min-jae has Yeonpo listed as his current address.

It looks like he's still living with Park Eon-bae.

Yes.

He's still unable to leave that place,

despite never having received any real love there.

But he had someone

who was willing to even murder for his sake.

For him, Jeong I-shin must have been

like a mother, maybe more.

So, you're saying that's why he's following in her footsteps?

I'm not sure.

But I am sure

that he intentionally lured me to the well.

As a reminder of my past.

He knows me.

Park Min-jae knows what I look like.

He might already be in my vicinity.

When I heard your father went missing…

I did find it a bit strange, but I wasn't able to question it.

We had no time with the politicians breathing down our necks.

We were relying solely on what Jeong I-shin was telling us.

Pursuing a hidden case was not a luxury we could afford.

This case…

Let's just keep your father's case between us.

If it goes public,

the identity of your mother will also be exposed.

I'll look into Park Min-jae. You, be careful.

I'll be in touch.

HUBBY SU-YEOL

Do you feel better now?

Go on. You're standing in front of your mother-in-law.

Tell her you're sorry for suspecting Su-yeol,

and introduce yourself.

JEONG I-SHIN

I guess someone visits her sometimes.

He said it was the first house you see

at the end of the forest trail by the beach.

This must be it.

But it looks abandoned.

Looks like no one lives here.

Hey, don't.

Hey.

Stop it. You can't just walk in like that.

This place is a little creepy.

I think we've seen enough. Let's head back.

This is someone else's house now.

Come on.

I can't do this anymore.

Jung-yeon!

- Who are you people? - Jung-yeon!

Who are you?

Hello, sir.

This used to be my husband's childhood home.

We'll just take a quick look around and leave.

Sir, why don't you go and get a drink on us?

We'll be out of here in no time.

Dad, what are you doing?

Give that money back to her.

Dad.

Give it back to her.

I don't want to!

Dad.

Dad!

Sorry about that. You must have been scared.

My dad is a bit…

Hold on.

I do have one.

- Here. - No, it's okay. We intruded.

- We're really sorry. - It's fine. Take it.

I don't want the countryside to get a bad rep. Please take it.

I caught a bit of your conversation earlier.

If your husband lived here…

Are you Jeong I-shin's daughter-in-law?

Do you know Jeong I-shin?

I know Auntie I-shin really well.

She was in her 20s and a bit young to call an auntie,

but back then, that's what we called all married women.

That's my phone.

It's time for my dad's meds.

Please excuse me, and enjoy your tour.

So sorry about earlier.

Could your eyes be more lovey-dovey?

Go and chase him down.

He's so not my type.

I have standards, you know.

I told you

to stop embarrassing me in front of other people!

Damn it!

I know.

Sorry.

I didn't mean it like that.

THERE ARE NO AVAILABLE CARS NEARBY

What's the point of buying a car

when you don't even know how to drive it?

For decorative purposes. What about it?

I guess we really are in the countryside. There's not a single cab around.

Hello again.

I actually found this at my place.

It's a picture of Auntie and me at the beach.

Wow, she's so beautiful.

Have you never seen a picture of her before?

No, I haven't.

I see.

I feel bad, but that's my only copy. I can't give it to you.

Can I take a picture of it?

Sure.

If you're on your way back,

I could give you a ride if you want. I'm also on my way back.

- We're fine. - That'd be great.

All right. Let me clear your seats for you.

Just give me a second.

It'll be nice. You can even ask him about Su-yeol's childhood.

We should just take a cab.

We'll be fine.

Get in.

FOR LEASE

Park Min-jae has a business license.

It's classified as a security business.

It looks like it's some sort of detective agency.

Where is it?

I'm at the address now, but it was shut down a long time ago.

Where are you?

Home.

I couldn't reach Jung-yeon.

This has never happened before.

I'm worried, so I'm waiting for her.

- Let me call you back. - Bro.

Jeong-ho. It's you, isn't it?

Wait, Su-yeol now, right?

What's up? Don't you remember me?

It's me. Park Min-jae.

Way to bring someone down.

Oh, right. We were at Yeonpo.

What were you doing there?

Right. I should get going.

Take care.

Here. These are dried cod fillets.

Yeonpo's local specialty. A souvenir for you.

Goodbye then.

You don't remember him? He said he lived next door.

Min-jae.

Park Min-jae, right?

So you do remember me.

That's me. Park Min-jae.

So, are you almost done with the current webtoon series?

The killer will be caught after five people fall victim.

About three of the victims will be…

Park Min-jae's car is in front of my place right now.

It is? How?

I'll explain later.

First, get his plate number and find out its vehicle storage site.

Min-jae, you can't drink because you need to drive, right?

I'll just drink water.

But still, that's a bit…

Are you sure about the lip color?

Isn't it really pretty? It's pretty close.

- It's a bit of a grapefruit color. - What? I don't really like grapefruit.

What were you doing in Yeonpo?

We got out of the city and stopped by on the way back.

Why didn't you answer your phone?

What's going on? Can I join?

Of course.

You totally can, but by any chance, do you have any ketchup?

Dried cod fillet tastes best with ketchup.

Jung-yeon, look at that. He says that's me.

Oh, but you know, there is…

There is a sort of resemblance.

- Right? - Really?

I mean, he is a webtoon artist, after all.

Can you also sign it for me at the bottom?

I'll cash it in if you ever get famous.

What a nice way of saying I'm not.

Wait. Hold that. That's the perfect angle.

Just hold that pose. Let me draw you.

That's perfect.

SEARCH

SEOYEON-DONG, NAMGWANG-GU, GWANGJU

Do you really not remember?

When we were little,

we used to teach city folk how to separate crab meat and stuff.

Yeah, I don't know why I don't remember that at all.

What's wrong with you?

Hold on.

Then…

do you not remember the Mantis Case, either?

"The Mantis"?

But doesn't everyone know about that?

I don't know.

Maybe not.

The World Cup was on then.

What is it?

A serial killer.

It was seriously such a mess back then.

If you cross a bridge from Yeonpo, there's this mining town.

It's in Woongsan.

And some young woman there

killed five people.

Five? Why?

But he'd know more about that than I would.

He's the police officer here.

No, I actually don't know much about that, either.

It's an old case.

Then, I can tell you about it.

They said she was in her 20s.

They never revealed her face or name for some reason.

She became famous for her nickname, the Mantis.

She brutally killed only men

who abused women and children.

To be fair, her victims committed far more heinous acts.

No matter how heinous…

it doesn't mean you can just kill people like that.

We have laws for a reason.

Right. You are a police officer, after all.

But when you look at it from an artist's perspective,

I honestly just think

the Mantis had great empathy.

She was really sensitive to other people's suffering.

So, the men, who abused those women and kids,

were made to feel the same pain and--

Get a hold of yourself.

It was murder. Nothing more.

She killed another person.

I know that. I do.

But I can kind of see his point.

I think if I were the victim's family, it would've felt cathartic.

They were freed from their abusers.

But if I'm being honest,

I've always been more curious

about her son than about her.

She had a son?

Yes, it was reported on the news.

I see.

Wow. To have a serial killer as a mom…

I wonder what that feels like.

He should be around our age now.

Right?

But why do you address him as if he were older?

Aren't you two the same age?

There's a story behind that too.

When we were little, I ended up breaking the side-view mirror

of some visitor's car while playing ball.

Hey, where the hell is it?

Where's your damn house?

I'm sorry. Just let me go this once.

Why this punk…

Where's your house? You said you lived nearby.

Why this punk…

Hey, is that your boy?

Yes. He's my boy.

Why do you ask?

She had such a warm embrace.

Auntie paid for the side-view mirror.

After that day,

I was over there almost every day.

Your mother sounds nice.

So, why would that make him older?

Oh, right.

I guess that man really had his doubts about me being her son.

So, he turned to Su-yeol,

and asked if I was really his older brother.

Then, Su-yeol said, "No, he's my younger brother."

That's exactly what he said.

But I was taller than him back then.

I'm fine with it.

I've addressed him as my older bro ever since that day.

My dad didn't like it,

but I practically lived at that house.

Auntie really treated me like a son.

But that accident

just took her without warning.

Jeez. What's wrong with me?

Tonight was fun.

Come see us again.

Okay.

See you.

- Bye. - Bye, Ah-ra.

Get home safely.

But why did you really go to Yeonpo?

I wanted to confirm

that your mother really did pass away.

You must've overheard

Mr. Jeong and me talking outside.

Your phone rang and I picked it up.

Mr. Jeong suddenly said you shouldn't see your mom.

He sounded really worried.

So?

Was there a grave at Yeonpo?

It's been cleared up now?

That settles it. Let's go back inside.

You don't want one, right?

What?

You don't want a baby.

What?

Where did that come from?

Don't play dumb.

I feel like it's all connected.

That issue and the family you try to keep secret.

Jung-yeon.

You had a lot to drink. We can talk about this later.

You're done talking, right?

Jung-yeon, what has gotten into you?

CHIEF CHOI JUNG-HO

SEOYEON-DONG, NAMGWANG-GU, GWANGJU

Your phone rang and I picked it up.

Mr. Jeong suddenly said you shouldn't see your mom.

Park Min-jae, that bastard.

I'm heading to the vehicle storage site.

SEONGSIN PNP PRINTING CUTTING, BINDING

What are you doing?

I guess you could call it

timid flirtation?

Min-jae.

Let's take the time to get to know one another.

I'll call you.

Okay.

SPEEDY DETECTIVE AGENCY PARK MIN-JAE

JEONG I-SHIN

Where are you?

The vehicle storage site.

It looks like Park Min-jae lives here.

What? You don't even have a warrant.

Hey, get out of there now. I'm on my way.

Didn't I tell you I felt him in my vicinity?

I was right.

This bastard

had been spying on Jung-yeon and me this whole time.

What if he catches on that we know, and goes into hiding?

What the…? Hey.

Damn it.

Hello? Sir? Are you all right?

Sir!

I lost him.

Su-yeol, you need to get out of there now.

Okay.

SEONGSIN PNP PRINTING

What the hell?

You're dead.

It was you.

You killed them.

You killed them all, didn't you?

What? Who?

You met her.

Didn't you?

To discuss the murder case.

Shut up!

Please tell me.

Is our mom

doing well?

Hello, ma'am.

Hello.

I'll let Chief Choi know.

All right.

RESTRICTED AREA

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

Jeong I-shin!

Jeong I-shin.

Jeong I-shin.

Jeong I-shin.

Mr. Seo, can you hear me? Mr. Seo.

What do you think you're doing?

What did you just feed me?

You say I killed someone.

With this thing?

What a world it'd be if all it took was this to overpower someone.

You live in the light and know

so little about what happens in the dark.

When cheaters are caught,

do you think they get embarrassed and hide under the covers?

They do not.

They glare right back and charge at you without any clothes on.

You think this would be enough?

Yeah, sure.

December 7th.

Tell me what you were doing from 9:00 p.m. to midnight.

I don't know.

I'm sure I did something.

Do you remember exactly what you did last week?

Park Min-jae.

You are a suspect in this case.

Think it through before you answer.

You're seriously so cool.

So this is you at work, huh?

- If only Mom got to see this-- - December!

I asked you about December 7th.

It seems like Mom is a major trigger for you.

Your veins pop as soon as she's mentioned.

All right. Fine.

Let me see a laptop.

One with Internet.

Why?

Even in this industry, competition is fierce these days.

Expense reports are just the start.

I need to give the client an hourly report of what I've been up to.

I make it a point to share my live location feed with them.

You can see exactly what I was doing and where I was

during those hours.

Mr. Seo.

Mr. Seo, look at me.

Are you okay?

Can you see me?

Where…

Look at me.

We met at the police station.

This is so suffocating.

I can't breathe.

My hand hurts so much.

Can't you please help me? Just this once?

Please save me.

Please.

Please save me.

Is that better?

Thank you.

She's going to kill.

Who?

Me.

Who would do that?

The Mantis.

Jeong I-shin is in prison right now.

I heard the recent murders

resemble the Mantis murders a bit.

Hurry up.

Forget MO.

Did people who deserved to die get killed? That's what counts.

Is that what's happening?

It looks like the chief is here alone.

I guess you're trying to keep me a secret from the other cops.

They must not know.

About you and Mom…

You really need to shut up.

You're very distracting.

I'm not trying to make your life difficult.

The fake grave you set up to keep that secret…

I'll be taking that to my grave.

Speaking of…

can you let me see Mom, just once?

You are going nowhere

until we confirm it was you on this route and not just your phone.

Got that?

Can I get some water?

It's time for my meds.

You don't know shit.

You're right. I don't.

That's why I'm here.

Why is Jeong I-shin trying to kill you?

Because I know.

Everything.

I am a police officer.

I can protect you.

Jeong I-shin's Murder Zero.

You're the only one who knew about it, right?

You can tell me. I'll keep you safe.

You couldn't even protect your own damn son.

You're asking about the young man who likes ketchup?

Of course, I know him. He's a regular.

By chance, was he here on the night of December 7th, as well?

Hold on.

I remember him saying he was really busy.

He almost came in every night for pork cutlets.

Seo Gu-wan.

Seo Gu-wan!

Yes, Detective Kim.

Seo Gu-wan did what?

I'm with the police.

Ma'am. He made it out of the hospital.

Damn it!

Detective Kim!

Sir.

I'll look from here to there.

Can you look back there?

- Are you okay? - Yes, I'm fine.

Sorry.

Seo Gu-wan!

Hey, Seo Gu-wan!

Seo Gu-wan!

Seo Gu-wan!

That's enough!

Stop it already!

Seo Gu-wan!

Seo Gu-wan!

Why can't I have that?

Why does everyone abandon me?

Why is it just always me?

Seo Gu-wan!

You bastard, stop following me already!

Seo Gu-wan!

Seo Gu-wan!

- Seo Gu-wan! - What was that?

There's been a car accident.

Near Gwanghyeon Intersection. In front of Bogwang Bank.

It's an emergency.

Seo Gu-wan.

The ambulance is coming. Save your energy. Stay still.

Why?

Isn't this what you wanted?

Because I know about

you, the Mantis,

and your damn wife.

I'm going to tell the whole world about them.

What did you say?

You…

want me dead too, don't you?

No.

When you shot yourself,

I saved you.

Back then, there were other cops around.

Same bloodline.

You…

are just like your mother.

I'm jealous of you.

Damn it.

It seems she had been secretly raising oil beetles

in the bathroom vent where there were no CCTV cameras around.

And she fed me the poison she collected from them.

It was my mistake.

Damn it.

My apologies.

She took your shoes too?

Why'd you do it?

I was hoping to gather

more intel for the case.

Didn't I tell you he was being held at the hospital for mental instability?

What in the world did you tell him?

Something must have set him off.

My apologies, sir.

Why did you free him

from his restraints?

If he hadn't been worked into such a frenzy,

he would still be alive.

I'm sorry, sir.

But the hit-and-run driver who killed him…

What if it wasn't accidental, but intentional?

As soon as Seo popped out of the alleyway,

the driver hit him as if he were their target before fleeing.

Who could it be?

What if this was the serial killer's way

of silencing Seo Gu-wan?

You remember Murder Zero, right?

He must've known

something about the Jeong Won-sik case. That's why--

That's enough.

I am the squad leader. You should've looped me in beforehand.

Detective Kim.

Do you have an issue with me?

Was it bad enough for you to completely ignore all protocol?

Did you have no faith in me at all?

You should just speak your mind here.

I do not harbor such feelings.

You resent the fact that I'm your squad leader, don't you?

If it weren't for me,

you'd be the squad leader. Is that why?

I heard you got into trouble a lot, back at Narcotics.

Do you think your position will be safe if you stir up more trouble here?

Say, if the entire team defies you.

Are you threatening me right now?

We did not follow your orders because you were the squad leader.

We did it thinking it'd help the case.

If we had thought otherwise--

And does this help solve the case?

Another person died!

Do you want to do this while his blood is still fresh on our hands?

We're nowhere close to identifying the culprit.

And what happens

if someone else dies before we do? What then?

You're not the only one suffering. This is hard on all of us.

Us.

Please excuse me.

I need to catch the hit-and-run driver.

MISTER JUNG-HO

Hello?

Have you gone insane?

So what the hell have you been doing for four hours?

Damn it.

Who is it?

Ms. Lee Jung-yeon?

Hello.

The forgotten serial killer everyone thought was dead

is perfectly alive and running around out there.

- Did you kill Seo Gu-wan? - You tell me first.

Are you not the slightest bit relieved to hear he is dead?

Park Min-jae was freed already.

Get your shit together.

Stop idolizing that despicable serial killer,

and try to live a normal life.

It's a dating app. A woman named Jo-i.

All four victims followed her profile.

Deliver the phone to that woman.

"That woman"? What is he talking about?

Subtitle translation by: Justin S. Kim