Original subtitles

Street name, meth.

This wonder drug keeps you awake and erases fear,

practically sending you into euphoria.

It was born during the war.

Soldiers high on it charged into enemy lines without fear,

and it was used to force

conscripted laborers into endless nights of work.

The real problem began after the war.

When liberation came and men returned home to their families,

they were no longer the same.

A boy who had longed to see his father again

was struck with fear at the sight of a man he no longer recognized.

No wonder.

His father had come back as a meth addict.

Stop! Stop it!

Stop!

Jesus Christ. What happened here?

It's their son.

- That's terrible. - Good grief.

The name of the man who got addicted to meth and killed his wife is

jang myeongho.

My father.

Here, have some.

When I was little, my father would often bring home red bean buns.

I got tired of them and said I wanted something else.

But he kept bringing red bean buns.

It wasn't until later that I realized

they were my mother's favorite.

He wasn't buying the buns

for me, but for her.

How's your mom?

Is she doing well?

That damn woman.

She's not cheating on me, is she?

Next time,

make sure you bring her.

Ever since he killed my mother,

he has been locked away in a mental hospital.

Completely unaware of what he did…

He still asks for her.

Hyeeun!

Come here.

Come on, quick.

Your brother's here.

- My brother? - Yeah, go on.

Come on, people. Pick up the pace!

You want to miss today's quota?

How have you been?

You know, same old.

I guess things will get better with time.

Right.

Are you getting any better at guitar?

Wait, how do you know about that?

How would I know?

You told me about it last time.

Did I?

So, getting better?

No.

Not really.

Why don't you play something? There's a guitar.

What?

No, I don't want to. It's embarrassing.

What's embarrassing?

Give it a try.

But… let's see what you can do on the guitar.

Even if it's bad, don't make fun of me.

Why would I make fun of you?

Prosecutor, your sentencing recommendation.

The defendants, Robert blunt

and Jimmy Walters, entered the residence of the victims,

Kim taeyeong and Lee suni, on march 2, 1970,

at approximately 7:30 P.M.

In the course of demanding methamphetamine,

they brutally murdered the victims.

The knife and other evidence

recovered at the horrific crime scene

clearly establish their intent to kill

during the commission of the offense.

Therefore, in order to heighten society's vigilance

against the dangers of narcotics addiction,

the prosecution submits the defendants bear full criminal responsibility.

For the defendants,

Robert blunt

and…

Jimmy Walters,

the prosecution seeks a death sentence.

How long?

Five? Five years? Ten?

Order in the court!

The death penalty?

I thought you promised to reduce their sentences!

That's why the yanks cooperated with the investigation!

"The prosecution,

walking the straight path, upholding principle."

I never promised. I said I would consider it.

They deserve the death penalty.

The victims were brutally murdered with slit throats.

And Lee suni was pregnant.

I know. I get it.

You think the Americans will just sit back?

- What about us-Korea relations? - Well…

As I understand it,

the ministry of foreign affairs is paying very close attention to that.

And I heard the us just set up a federal agency called

the drug enforcement administration on the president's orders.

So why don't we make something like that too, sir?

If you recommend it to the prosecutor general,

and he raises it with the president, it could happen.

What have you been up to lately?

Why are you never at your desk?

Well, I'm doing what I've always been doing, sir.

Yeah, so what is it?

- My job. - Which is?

Catching criminals.

You know, my job.

If you'll excuse me, I've got work to do.

Hey,

I'm warning you again.

Don't go stirring up the kcia.

Well, as long as they're not tangled up in drugs,

I have no reason to.

I'll be going now, sir.

That nutjob.

What about the notebook?

There was no notebook.

No notebook?

No.

She said it never existed in the first place.

That crazy bitch.

She pulled all that shit when there wasn't even a notebook?

Right?

You were colluding with bae geumji, weren't you?

That's why you went to Japan with her,

and why you met choi yuji?

…you stopped me from killing kang daeil, right?

Hey. You run a goddamn department at the kcia.

And you're pushing drugs?

What will people say if they find out?

You little shit!

Hey.

Did you think I wouldn't know?

You tried to fool me?

How dare you!

I'm sorry! I'm sorry, sir!

Get off me.

Please give me one more chance!

And my life is yours.

You goddamn piece of shit.

How about 200 million?

I'll give you 200 million every month.

You must have an insane death wish.

Hey.

If anyone finds out, we're both dead, you asshole.

That'll never happen.

Even if something were to go wrong, we just need to get rid of kang daeil.

Sir, it's 200 million every month!

We could make even more down the line!

You don't want to spend your whole life groveling to chief cheon, do you?

What did you just say?

I swear I'll do whatever it takes to put you in the blue house, sir.

Make it 300 million.

Three hundred million every month.

If you can't do it,

then just die.

You snitched, didn't you? You fucking bastard!

Hey, what happened? I didn't snitch.

Come on, man. You scared me.

Look.

Hwang already knew everything, all right?

Jang geonyoung from Busan district prosecutors' office

showed up and told him you were tied up with kang daeil.

Jang geonyoung told him?

Yeah.

How the hell does he know?

Beats me, fucker.

Watch yourself, man.

Keep this up, and you really might end up dead.

Let me meet cheon seokjung.

What?

You thought I didn't know?

You're the little rat he planted to keep tabs on hwang, aren't you?

How long have you known?

Does it matter how long I've known?

Does hwang know too?

No.

Why didn't you tell him? You should have.

You could've gone straight to him and said you found cheon's mole.

What for? There's no need.

Hey… …

I thought you were just a reckless bastard with a fucking death wish.

Turns out you're a snake.

Cheon seokjung.

I have to see him.

I'll pay you back plenty.

What for?

He has something to tell you.

How much has hwang skimmed off?

About a billion, sir.

I see.

I'll think about it and let you know.

Yes, sir.

Na ho on a or nam Jin? One, two, three!

- Na ho on a! - Nam Jin!

Guess you really are from gyeongsang-do.

What? No. Gyeongsang-do or jeolla-do,

when it comes to singing, hoona's the best.

Well, I like Jin better.

You silly… well, that's good.

You can have Jin. Hoona's mine.

Hey, you think we can just claim them? Did ho on a ever say he's yours?

Or not. Whatever.

By the way, soyeong.

Did you really quit your job at the bank?

But why? That's a great job.

Well, you know.

I'm sick of handling other people's money.

So, have you found something new?

No, I'm taking a break.

Your brother didn't say anything?

I mean, others would kill for that job.

My brother would never… right! Sunyeong.

I have to go. I've got plans.

What plans?

I'm going to see a movie. The one with shin seongil!

Hey, I love shin seongil too!

- Can I come? Yeah? - What? …

… what is it?

Wait, is this a date?

Gosh, you catch on fast!

I'll call you later, okay?

Who's the guy? Hey!

Call me!

Soyeong, I'm going to use the restroom.

Okay.

Hey, daeil.

It's been a while?

Look at you out on a date.

If baek kitae finds out his little sister's seeing a gangster,

you think he's going to let that slide?

What do you want now?

I did everything you asked last time, didn't I?

That was then.

There's a new star of the show.

I know the score.

You're moving meth with baek kitae, right?

You should make it to your sister's wedding next month.

And watch her marry into that teacher's family.

I heard you even bought her a house.

Looks like you made a lot of money

skimming Jo manjae's meth.

Daeil?

Call this number when the first batch is out.

Mr. Jang.

What?

Let me ask you something.

You think you can take on the kcia and win?

Want to know what I think? You'll lose.

The kcia…

They're number one in this country!

You goddamn thug.

Don't screw this up.

Call me when the first batch is out.

Jang geonyoung, Busan district prosecutors' office.

This is baek kitae.

It's been a while. So, what made you call?

Have you had dinner yet?

Not yet.

Good. Would you care to join me?

You mentioned pork and rice soup before.

There's a local spot called the miryang house.

The broth there is nice and rich.

Actually, why don't you come here?

There's a good place right across from my office.

We can order in and have a nice, quiet dinner here.

Everyone's gone for the day, so no need to worry.

All right. I'll be there by 8:00 P.M.

Here.

This is nice.

So, why did you want to see me?

Well, we said we'd grab a meal sometime.

I thought I'd make good on it and also pay my respects properly.

Respects? Come on. By the way…

You've got a certain vibe. You know that?

What do you mean?

Like right now. You're polite.

Too polite.

I'll take that as a compliment.

Compliment? As if.

I'm saying you've got that kcia feel, you know?

Gentleman up front, but savage in the back.

Two-faced, like janus.

It looks like I've upset you over Jo manjae, Mr. Jang.

I'm glad you know!

I hope you don't hold onto it.

Let's clear the air today.

Fine.

So,

did you guys catch Jo manjae?

He's gone missing.

Missing?

He disappeared.

Well, someone claims they saw him in the Philippines, but…

He's dead.

Who, Jo manjae?

Yes. You know,

there was a time this whole city was flooded with Jo's meth.

It even stirred things up across the water in Japan.

But the meth's all dried up now.

He suddenly disappeared, you say?

Jo manjae, the hotshot?

Why?

He must've been killed.

Who killed him?

We'll talk about it next time.

So, why'd you join the kcia, Mr. Baek?

To serve the country.

Serve the country? …

Hey, you want to hear a funny story?

What's the story?

I once busted a meth dealer back in Seoul.

And this idiot said his dream was

to export meth to Japan,

earn some foreign currency, and flood all of Japan with Korean meth.

He said, "if that's not patriotism, what is?"

You see, patriotism comes in many forms.

That's funny.

Let me tell you another funny story.

Mr. Baek.

I don't care

if it's the kcia

or whoever pulls their strings.

If you want to take me on,

you'd better be ready.

I don't break easily.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Mr. Jang.

Man, the timing couldn't be worse.

She works at a dye factory in gimpo, gyeonggi-do.

Apparently, she joined a guitar club,

but we got intel the guitar instructor has been taking funds from the north.

You'd better tell your sister to get out of there quickly.

Should I be thanking you?

There's no need.

You and I both work for the government.

We should help one another, shouldn't we?

Your brother graduated top of his military academy class?

But I heard back in high school,

baek kihyun got mixed up in a pretty big incident.

Why bring up my family out of nowhere?

No, it's just,

since you were kind enough to take an interest in mine,

I thought I'd return the favor with yours.

You really want to know?

Not if it puts you on the spot.

Guess it does.

Let me throw another one at you then.

That light up there.

And over here!

And this.

Well?

Is this serving the country too?

Is the kcia wiretapping a prosecutor your idea of serving the country?

Mr. Jang geonyoung.

This is getting nowhere.

Thanks for dinner.

Mr. Baek kitae!

You'll see me again! Count on it!

"Serving the country"?

Pull the wiretap team out and get the jang hyeeun file ready.

Yes, sir.

Did you say jang geonyoung's father is in a mental hospital?

Yes. A municipal psychiatric hospital in daegu.

That family has its share of troubles.

How many kilos?

Twenty kilos.

Twenty kilos?

- Is it going to Japan? - Osaka.

- Who in Osaka? - Ikeda yuji.

Ikeda yuji?

Are you talking about the ikeda clan in Osaka? The yakuza?

Baek's delivering it himself?

Yes.

When?

The 13th.

5:00 A.M., yeongdo.

The 13th.

5:00 A.M., yeongdo.

The only ship going from yeongdo, Busan to Osaka

on the 13th is the mangeum.

The mangeum?

But word is, it's actually a kcia ship.

Those bastards are really going all in?

Good.

When will it arrive in Osaka?

The next afternoon.

Ms. You said you speak Japanese?

Yes, I learned it in school.

Book the plane tickets and hotel rooms right away.

Yes, sir. I will.

Mr. Kim, we don't have much time, but gather everything you can

on the ikeda clan, the one baek kitae's dealing with.

Yes, sir. Got it.

All right! We're flying to Osaka.

We'll get there first and tail baek kitae.

And sir, here.

That thing you asked about before.

There's nothing special.

He's on leave from snu's art department, no history in the student movement.

Clean record.

29

You said he's your sister's guitar instructor, right?

So the meth is ready?

Yes, sir.

How many kilos?

Twenty kilos.

… here.

Kitae.

Yes, sir.

How long have we known each other?

About ten years, sir.

Wow.

Ten years?

Time really flies.

Hey, send pyo in.

Osaka, did you say?

Yes.

All right. You're going to be on a tight schedule,

so take care of yourself, yeah?

And while you're there, pick up a bottle of whiskey.

We'll drink ourselves under the table when you get back.

Yes, sir.

- Come, have a seat. - Yes, sir.

Baek's taking the meth to Japan.

You should go with him.

Yes, sir.

- What? - Nothing, sir.

All right. Cheers.

Have a safe trip.

You can go now.

I'll see you when I get back, sir.

All right.

Any particular reason you're sending me with him?

He says he's delivering 20 kilos to chairman ikeda.

- Right. - Keep a close eye on him.

Yes, sir.

Tell choi yuji I want to meet her in private.

Yes, sir.

Let's get rid of him.

Baek kitae.

The way he looks at me…

Isn't the same anymore.

Take care of him

on the ship back to Korea.

Yes, sir.

The way he looks at me…

Isn't the same anymore.

Take care of him…

On the ship back to Korea.

Here is last month's balance sheet, father.

I believe you'll be pleased,

but if it falls short, please guide me.

I hear kimura

and the other executives have been talking.

You've heard already?

You know it's hard to keep the factories running in Japan now.

Korea's our only option now.

The quality of the sample is solid too.

It may still be too soon.

Don't you trust me, father?

Yeah, you had that same look in your eyes…

The first time I saw you.

Still,

you seemed too good to be serving others.

And I'm always grateful to you.

If so, keep your head on straight.

Unless you want to go back to that life.

You need to earn their trust

with your own ability,

not because you're my daughter.

If you can't get things done without me stepping in,

there's no reason to put you out front.

Yes, sir.

I'll make sure you have nothing to worry about.

That'd be good.

I do think of you as my own.

But for the sake of the clan, sometimes

one must spill their own child's blood…

Are you all right?

Should I call Dr. Miura?

A bath. Just draw me a bath.

Yes, sir.

The budget's a little tight.

But I didn't know it was this kind of place.

Excuse me… I booked two rooms.

It says it's one room.

- That can't be. - What's wrong?

She says only one room is booked.

I clearly booked two.

Just ask for one more room then.

Okay.

Well… we'd like one more room, please.

I'm very sorry.

With the Osaka expo going on, we have no vacancies.

Expo?

Expo?

Expo.

She says there's no room.

Man…

Boy.

- Hello? - Mr. Jang?

Yeah. Go ahead.

Sir, baek kitae just left on the ship.

Really?

But some guy got on with him.

Okay, got it.

Yeah.

Wait. Listen.

- Wait… - don't hang up yet.

Let's talk a little more.

I'm hearing some kind of noise.

- Noise? - Are you doing something?

No, what would I be doing?

I hear some weird…

What do you… gosh, that's enough. I'm hanging up now.

Okay. Good night, sir.

Was that Mr. Kim?

Yeah.

He said baek kitae left on the ship,

but he wasn't alone.

Who's with him?

We don't know.

Boss!

Boss.

Hurry it up!

Boss!

Boss!

- Back to work! - Yes, sir!

It may look like just a fish market,

but this one distribution network delivers meth to every dinner table across Japan.

Boss.

I'm hungry. Want to go grab a bite to eat?

How about a drink? We closed the deal on good terms.

If you don't mind, there's somewhere I'd like to go with Mr. Baek alone.

Go.

- Let's go! - Yes, sir!

- Boss! - Boss!

I thought you were hungry.

What are we doing here?

This is where I grew up.

My lifelong goal was to get out of here,

but I could never forget the food.

- The hibiscus flower's bloomed! - Got you! Run!

Run!

Actually, I grew up here too.

Nice broth.

When did you move to Japan?

When I was little, about nine years old.

What about you?

I was born here.

We might've crossed paths here back then.

Come to think of it, I think I remember seeing you.

When did you go back to Korea?

When I was 19, after my father passed away.

We moved to Busan, my mother's hometown.

The next year, my mother passed too.

So, I was busy providing for my younger siblings.

Must've been rough.

Family, right?

Can't win with or without them.

I thought I'd at least stop hearing "chosenjin".

But instead, I got called "jap" all the time.

So sick of it.

The food was great. I'll see you again.

Thank you.

I need a partner who can produce

much larger volumes on a steady basis.

Right now, you're still small-time in this business.

I can't help but doubt how much you can actually put out.

How much exactly do you want?

Ten times the amount now.

- That would cover all of Japan... - that's right.

I need enough supply to swallow up all of Japan in one go.

That's the only way I'll have the power to crush

that greedy old man once and for all.

I shut down our factory on the outskirts of Osaka not long ago.

It had a stock of the finest Taiwanese precursors.

With that, you'll have more than enough to hit the quota I gave you.

You're saying you'll hand me the raw material?

At what price?

Don't worry. I'll consider it an investment.

But make sure you secure a steady pipeline of precursors from Taiwan soon.

I can't keep covering for you every time.

I never asked you to.

You're right. Maybe I just want to see you.

Are you coming on to me?

Sir, the deal went through smoothly.

And did you talk to choi yuji?

Yes, sir. I did.

When are you coming back?

We'll be on our way now.

Take good care of baek kitae.

Yes, sir. I will.

How much is that?

Comes out to about 300 million won.

I see.

You can buy 100 apartments with that.

Name your price.

Man, if pyo haksu is in on it too,

that means the kcia is running meth on an organized scale.

At this point, hwang must be in on it too, right?

I guess so.

- Here they come. - They're coming out.

They're coming out.

- That's pyo haksu. He's out. - All right, get ready.

- Get ready. - Hey, get ready.

Get ready.

Wait. But I don't see baek kitae. Baek's not here.

Baek kitae's not here.

Wait, hold position.

Hold position.

Stay sharp and stand by.

- Car! Incoming! - Get down!

Damn, that scared me.

Isn't that director hwang's car?

Yes, it is.

- What's he doing here? - What's going on?

- The cash? - In the bags, sir.

- Nice work. - Yes, sir.

Wait, but baek kitae hasn't come out yet.

Where is he?

- Why isn't that bastard coming out? - Damn it.

What? They're turning around.

- Wait. Why are they leaving? - They're leaving.

- They're coming! Down! - What about baek kitae?

- Hide! They're coming! Down! - Why are they leaving without him?

They left.

But baek kitae's… sir, what do we do?

Baek… okay. Well…

Stay hidden and watch the mangeum closely.

Make sure you see if baek geum… baek… baek kitae gets off!

What about baek kitae?

All taken care of, sir.

Geez.

And what did choi yuji say?

We had a good talk. She said she'd get in touch with us soon.

- Take down kang daeil and seize the gang. - Yes, sir.

And run the factory yourself.

Yes, sir. Understood.

Kitae, you fool.

What happened with baek kitae?

He hasn't gotten off the ship yet.

Listen, you can't lose him! Watch closely!

Sir, baek kitae…

What?

Baek kitae, what?

No.

Hey, hey, hey!

Hey, what the heck? What's happening?

Stop!

What the hell is this?

They had to raise hell with a goddamn ritual today of all days?

Give me.

- Wait here. - Yes, sir.

- Did baek kitae… - yes?

…say anything to you?

He just groveled and begged for his life.

I'll be here, sir.

God, those bastards.

Where the hell did they go?

Damn it.

There.

Stop!

Dear.

Stop!

What the hell?

Sunja!

You can't do this!

Fucking bastards.

What the hell is going on here?

You!

What the hell are you doing?

Stop fighting!

Wait, hey! Stop them!

Come on, stop them!

- You goddamn vermin. - Wait, wait…

Hey! You!

Kitae.

Ms. Start searching outside!

Director hwang.

What happened here?

Ambulance.

Ambulance!

The phone!

Where's the phone?

Hello? This is jang geonyoung from Busan district prosecutors' office.

I'm in bansong, haeundae.

Someone's in critical condition here, so send an ambulance right now.

I'm here in bansong… it's… a temple!

I'm at a temple!

The name of the temple? I don't know! What?

There are five temples in this area? Then send an ambulance

- to all five! - Fire!

- Fire! - Fire!

- Call the fire department! - Fire!

- What the hell? - Fire!

Fire! Fire! Fire!

Watch out!

Water. Water.

Okay. All right, move! Move out!

Okay, okay.

No! Stay back! It's dangerous!

Translated by yoonjung song