Original subtitles

[This drama is a work of fiction.]

[Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is coincidental.]

[Scenes with child actors and animals were filmed safely]

[under professional supervision.]

[One year later]

My part in this story is over.

Deep down, I knew all along.

From the start, I was just a side character, following someone else's script,

caught in a web spun by the people on top.

Inside that hell,

the worthless dream I carried

didn't stand a chance.

Pull yourself together.

Even so, in that hell...

Pull yourself together!

Should my leaving light even the faintest flame,

out of this miserable destiny...

For God's sake, pull yourself together.

that alone would've made it all worthwhile.

No.

No.

Please...

Sang Ah.

Are you okay?

Simply sharing the same stage

[Final Episode] was exciting and such a privilege.

Performing with her in particular,

I've received so many wonderful sparks of motivation...

[Avoid mentions of the late Hwang Jeong Won] My question is for actress Chu Sang Ah.

While shooting, one of the film's clips

got confused for actual leaked material,

and it became a whole thing.

What was going through your mind at the time?

Not easy, honestly.

[Four Seasons]

I comforted myself by thinking it just proved how convincing my performance was.

On top of that, it gave the movie free publicity,

so we tried tracking down who was behind it.

[Actress Chu Sang Ah] The studio tried to give that person a bonus,

but they must've gotten nervous because nobody ever owned up.

Appreciate the response.

Would it be okay to squeeze in one more?

Of course, seems like there's more. Please, go on.

Much appreciated. Just one more thing.

That intimate scene between the two women was absolutely stunning...

Hell of a job out there.

Loved the movie.

And getting into the festival, that's huge.

Thank you.

Couldn't have done it without you.

By the way,

I read you booked your next project.

That's great news.

You seem to be doing well too.

Son Guk Won's campaign brought me on board.

With the presidential race coming up fast, things are only going to pile up from here.

Nice. I'll be cheering you on.

We should get moving now.

I appreciate you showing up.

Look after yourself.

Sang Ah.

I've got something

to run by you.

Let's get to your Monday morning headlines.

With the heated showdown between Doyak Party's Son Guk Won

and Changjo Party's Gu Hong Seo still raging,

the latest polls

put Candidate Son at the top in approval ratings.

[The assemblyman has confirmed it]

[Campaign Manager Lee Chan Yong]

[22nd Presidential Election Debate]

Reconsider this, sir.

Voters today are levelheaded and sharp.

Some tearjerker bit about a vintage watch isn't fooling anyone.

Changjo doesn't have proof regardless,

so no matter what they hurl at me,

brush it off as groundless smear tactics.

If I may, sir, just a second.

Sure, that buys us time today,

but it won't turn the tide in our direction.

Winning this election

takes a narrative that hits people in the gut.

Once we can predict

what Changjo's throwing at us, like today,

dropping our counter at precisely the right beat

makes your integrity

and patriotism land even harder.

Fair enough.

Nobody knows their playbook better than you,

considering you were one of them.

Sir.

Tonight will be the spark

that sets off our upward trajectory from here.

Your loyalty, I can't count on.

But that mind of yours, I believe in.

I appreciate that.

Leave the timing to me.

[22nd Presidential Election Debate]

Out of every candidate in this race,

not one has less moral credibility than Candidate Son.

Between the Daeyang Fund slush accounts,

corporate kickbacks, and abuse of power,

that's only what we already know about.

Imagine what else will turn up once we start digging.

Is this really the person we'd trust

to carry this nation on his shoulders?

Those recordings from the general election

were confirmed as forgeries. Didn't we already settle that?

What makes you keep pushing falsehoods

with nothing to back them up?

You plan on dodging this all the way to the finish?

[Transcript of Daeyang Fund] What we've gathered alone is

more than enough for a warrant.

There isn't a doubt in my mind

that you're lying to our faces.

Should I be mistaken,

I'll resign from this race

and surrender everything I own.

So what are you willing to stake?

My grandfather carried this watch

through the independence movement in the 1930s.

It's been our family's most sacred possession ever since.

Can you see the blood on it?

Should I

really be the symbol of corruption,

some fossil dragging Korean politics backwards,

then I'll walk away from this election today.

- Yet. - Yet

- Every single day, I hold this watch - every single day,

- and remind myself that - I hold this watch

- and remind myself that... - our forebears built this country

through blood and sacrifice.

our forebears built this country through blood and sacrifice.

Every fiber of my being

- has gone... - Every fiber of my being

- into serving this nation. - has gone into serving this nation.

But

if baseless attacks

and character assassination are your game, be my guest.

Let the citizens of this nation decide what's real.

In that spirit,

I'm staking this seat,

[22nd Presidential Election Debate] every last thing I own,

along with...

a century of my family's devotion

to this country.

Well then, Candidate Gu,

prepared to step down?

Wait.

Just a moment.

All nine minutes of Candidate Gu Hong Seo's

initiative segment have been exhausted.

Candidate Son Guk Won,

the floor is yours for your initiative debate.

[TV debate heats up over allegations] Thank you.

That was incredible, sir.

Congratulations.

Congratulations, sir.

The watch moment peaked at over 40% viewership.

And the whole thing buried the ethics scandal completely.

I figured it was old-school,

but the classics never fail.

Born strategist, born showman.

Director,

tonight went perfectly. Why are we having this conversation again?

If I rush the insurance reform play,

I'm just loading the gun for Gu Hong Seo.

And that gossip floating around the trading floors,

that I'll hand you

WR Life shares once I'm sworn in,

you don't think the Changjo Party planted that?

Look.

Hey, get it together!

Sir.

You seem to have a short memory about everything I did

to build you up and carry you here.

Where you go from here is still in my hands.

Don't forget that.

One wrong turn from me,

and you're off the edge. It's that simple.

Chairman Kwon could go any day now,

so quit stalling

and get the inheritance law amendment lined up

before you even sit down in that chair.

We clear?

Who does she think she's playing...

Want a drink?

So,

that thing you said you needed to discuss,

what is it?

I'm going to pry Lee Yang Mi

off of Son's back.

Lee Yang Mi's dropped the mask,

and the cracks between them are already showing.

Son already knows that even if he wins,

he's just going to be Lee Yang Mi's puppet,

so I'll work on him

and build a financial cushion to replace Lee Yang Mi's bankroll

when the moment's right.

You're deep inside both Son's and Lee Yang Mi's circles right now.

You're willing to risk all that? To do what?

If I don't move now, she's going to eat me alive all over again.

I can't let her ruin

what I've spent my whole life chasing.

And you

can't keep getting stepped on either.

And I...

I want you back too.

After all of it,

I thought I'd lost you for good.

But that year without you,

I realized just how much of you was in me.

Getting hit, falling down,

but knowing you were somewhere out there, looking the same direction...

that's what kept me standing.

Yeah...

I guess we really were alike.

Sleeping alone, waking up alone in this house,

I had the exact same thought.

I was looking too.

A way to destroy Lee Yang Mi.

There's someone I need to see first.

I'm meeting Assemblyman Choi from the Changjo Party

and giving him something he can't walk away from.

The Doyak Party's mastermind never picked up my calls,

and now you come to me. What an honor.

These are original documents

containing part of the testimony

from a key insider in the Daeyang Fund.

Son doesn't even know this exists,

so he can't fight it,

and the impact will be enormous.

If you'd played this during last year's election,

the whole outcome could've been different.

Why hold it back until now?

Let's just say I was keeping it for a day like this.

I play the long game too.

That election was never the endgame.

That takes real nerve.

Regardless, the files are password-locked.

Pick the release date with me,

and I'll send over the password.

This is Candidate Gu's handwritten pledge.

[Changjo Party]

[I'll guarantee Bang Tae Seop the No. 3 PR slot] Proportional seat number three, it's yours.

Under the radar,

but right where the spotlight hits.

Understood.

I'll be waiting for your call.

Once the Changjo Party takes the bait,

they'll set it off right on cue,

and when Son's cornered,

I'll offer to make it go away and cut a deal.

This is a copy of the USB

that Hwang Jeong Won left before she died.

I handed Lee Yang Mi a version

with the dashcam footage wiped, the part that proves she's the one

behind Park Jae Sang's death.

[Phone records]

I cleaned it so thoroughly that even a forensic sweep won't find it.

She has no reason to doubt it.

But on this copy,

that dashcam footage is still there.

Jeong Won...

she knew everything.

I was tired of being a coward.

This is basically the original of Oh Kwang Jae's list,

the one that's gone now.

[He said he'd introduce me to the big boss who's funding the drama]

I started writing everything down when I was twenty,

before that bastard ever asked me to.

I kept going back and forth

about just blowing it all open,

or finding a way to take down those men

and Lee Yang Mi in one shot.

[I couldn't get away when he grabbed my arm]

[No, I didn't even try to run. That's what's so haunting right now]

Are you sure about this?

The stakes are high.

You're putting just as much on the line.

And I trust we won't fail.

Then all that's left

is turning every man in this diary

into a financial cushion for Son, to replace Lee Yang Mi's pipeline.

I saw the article about your son being named heir to the group.

I was surprised, honestly.

People don't change easily,

and those were your own words.

He's your son, but the boy's a lost cause.

Get to the point.

Then you remember that day, don't you?

The day your son got behind the wheel drunk and hit someone.

Watch your mouth.

I happened to be at that same dinner that night

because of the MK commercial shoot.

You remember that, right?

Ji Hyuk was drinking, took the car, and hit somebody.

Get a replacement driver set up right now.

Find some actor to take the blame,

and buy the witnesses off.

- Get our guys in the prosecution - Back then my life was such a disaster

- and the police to bury it. Whatever it takes. - that I recorded every phone call.

Got it?

And you were right there next to me, completely wasted,

ordering the driver swap,

calling his lawyer, and it's all on tape.

What do you think happens when this gets out

and you're standing in the court of public opinion?

What the hell do you want?

Some kind of crusade for justice?

Justice?

I don't care about that.

I'm here to shake you down.

Don't waste your time

tracing the accounts.

Fill this with dollars.

It should fit about a million.

[I'm dropping it in five days]

We just got word that the Changjo Party is getting ready

to drop something big.

What kind of big?

[Doyak Party] We don't have the specifics yet,

but their leadership is convinced

that once it breaks, Candidate Gu takes the whole thing.

If we can nail down the timing,

we can prepare a proper counter.

I've dug as far in as I can, even into their inner circle,

but this is locked down at the very top.

Nearly impossible to crack.

Have the press send over this month's issue schedule.

Look for the open dates.

Whatever this is, if it's that big,

the Changjo Party won't sit on it long.

Yes, sir. I'll get on it.

I'll prep something to bury whatever the Changjo Party puts out.

No. This is above your pay grade.

Secretary Kim,

loop in Lee Yang Mi's people

and tell them to move. Now.

With the biggest card they've got in storage.

I swore I'd stop going back to that woman.

The leak moved faster than we expected.

Let's push it up. Day after tomorrow.

That fast?

I was thinking mid-month at the earliest, maybe even later.

We have to hit first, before Lee Yang Mi gets her story ready.

If it blindsides us,

Son's scandal gets buried regardless of timing.

I don't know. I'd need to discuss it.

Sir.

We lose this window and it's done.

It's a race against the clock now.

Will you just watch the presidency go up in smoke?

All right.

I hear you.

I'll handle the candidate.

Jesus.

Idiot.

The woman's voice should come through perfectly clear now.

Yes, Director.

It's done.

You didn't leave a trace, did you?

It needs to look like a suicide. No exceptions.

[News Director Lee Jae Moon]

This will be

the biggest story to hit this year.

It's done.

You didn't leave a trace, did you?

It needs to look like a suicide. No exceptions.

I get it. WR's your top advertiser,

so this isn't a simple decision.

Even with all the risk,

is there a reason for us to run this?

You can pass.

It's a race

to see who breaks it first,

and I can always walk this over to another network.

But if I were sitting in your chair,

I'd be prepping the broadcast already.

By tomorrow, I'll have someone "upstairs" pick up the phone,

call the president of MJN,

and make it an order from the top.

And when that happens, you'll be the one

who let the exclusive slip. That's not a good look.

How about this?

You get the broadcast and the promo ready ahead of time,

so the second the order drops,

you can fire it off immediately.

In exchange,

I take the promo footage first.

On the condition nothing leaks to the press.

That's the deal.

Fair enough.

The angle shouldn't just be one person's dirty laundry.

It should expose the rot in Korea's elite class.

What do you say?

[The WR Family's Dirty Secrets, Coming Up on MJN 9 News!]

The founding family of WR Group, the third-largest conglomerate in Korea,

[WR Director Charged with Murder-for-Hire] is now implicated in a murder-for-hire.

[Hit Ordered Through Broker, Evidence Destroyed] Shocking video evidence has surfaced.

[Hwang Yong Deok] [Promise kept. Exposé stops at WR]

The founding family of WR Group, the third-largest conglomerate in Korea,

is now implicated in a murder-for-hire. Shocking video evidence has surfaced.

The director of WR Entertainment, who is also the chairman's spouse...

- a Ms. Lee, is alleged to have ordered - This is the 9 o'clock news promo

the hit through a broker,

- we secured by giving MJN the source material. - and is suspected of tampering

with evidence to make the scene

look like a suicide.

Tonight at nine...

- What is this? - An MJN exclusive.

I don't remember giving any order like this.

The Changjo Party got their hands on this.

It's CEO Yoon from Daeyang Fund. His testimony, filmed before he died.

I'm Yoon Sang Hyun, CEO of Daeyang Fund.

And it goes public tonight.

Assemblyman Son Guk Won

used my fund to build a slush fund,

and when the truth started closing in,

he tried to have me killed.

This is

the bug they planted in my car.

And it's proof.

Knew it. You really are a wolf.

This is Lee Yang Mi's playbook, move for move.

So what's your endgame here?

Drop Lee Yang Mi and pick me.

And once you're in office,

I want the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs seat.

Once a mad dog, always a mad dog.

I told you,

I trust your brain,

but not your heart.

Remember that?

That nuclear bomb the Changjo Party's holding right now,

isn't that the evidence you got from the Shadow during the general election?

Your wife was hanging off a cliff,

and you still held on to your last card

for yourself. Tell me, how do I trust a man like that?

You need to trust the choice

he made when he held that card back.

Even if he'd played that card,

it still wouldn't have buried my story.

Tae Seop wasn't abandoning me back then.

He was protecting my future,

waiting for a moment exactly like today.

Either way,

I'm not cutting Lee Yang Mi loose.

And even if I wanted to, I can't.

You'll regret this.

Throwing away the small fish to catch the big one?

If the small fish eats the big fish,

is that still a big fish or a small fish?

You want WR? Then choose me.

You'll see why soon enough.

It's the exact amount Director Lee promised you in slush money.

No strings attached. It's clean money.

MJN is locked and loaded to run the Director Lee Yang Mi story tonight.

[MJN President Lim Won Guk] When you've made up your mind,

call this number.

I believe in your judgment.

Hello, sir. This is Son Guk Won.

Good evening, everyone.

This is the 9 o'clock news.

Our top story tonight involves the country's third-largest conglomerate.

The dark secrets of the WR family.

[WR Ent. Director Accused of Murder] The wife of WR Group Chairman Kwon Se Myeong

and WR Entertainment director, identified only as Ms. Lee,

has been named as the real culprit

behind the murder of Mr. Park that rocked the nation.

[Arrest Warrant Issued for Director Lee] MJN has obtained the evidence exclusively.

Investigators have detained suspect Mr. Cheon,

[Broker MeTuber Choi: Key Link to Ms. Lee] and secured a statement that MeTuber Mr. Choi,

acted under orders from Ms. Lee, a director

[Statement Secured, Manhunt Underway] - at WR Entertainment, - Yes, Director.

- who allegedly gave the kill order. - It's done.

- A full investigation is now underway. - You didn't leave a trace, did you?

[CCTV Audio Restored] It needs to look like a suicide. No exceptions.

An anonymous tip has surfaced

with video evidence suggesting that Mr. Park's death,

which shocked the nation, was ordered by the WR family.

WR Entertainment director

- Hey! - and spouse of the Chairman, Ms. Lee...

What the hell happened with the Son Guk Won story?

You useless piece of shit!

- Overseeing multiple subsidiaries... - Middleman broker, MeTuber Mr. Choi...

WR Entertainment director...

A chaebol family's shocking true colors have been laid bare.

This murder-for-hire also leads back to WR Group...

Ms. Lee, a director at WR Entertainment and the wife of the chairman...

WR is at the center of this...

There are still more cases yet to surface...

Tonight at nine...

She's coming out!

There she is!

Let go of me!

Get your hands off me!

Any comment?

Let go of me!

Democracy is dead in this country!

I'm being framed!

- Why did you kill Park Jae Sang? - Get off me!

Let go!

This is a witch hunt!

Get off!

From in there.

Enjoy your stay. A nice, long one.

You little...

You're dead! You hear me?

MeTuber Mr. Choi has been

on Ms. Lee Yang Mi's payroll since last year,

[MeTuber Choi Arrested This Afternoon] pumping out vicious rumors and fake stories...

Considering the circumstances around Oh Kwang Jae's murder

[Charged with Spreading Rumors on Orders] and the allegations

tying Chairman Kwon Se Myeong to it,

evidence now shows they've been running

a systematic campaign of media manipulation and cover-ups

- I only did what she ordered. - to bury the WR family's dirty secrets.

Prosecutors believe this is just the tip of the iceberg,

[Chairman Kwon Tied to Oh Kwang Jae Case?] and that even more high-profile figures

[Singer Jung Yun Seo, Actress Ryu Ji Eun] are suspected of illegal involvement

[Ondam Hotel: The "Entertainment" Protocol] with aspiring entertainers.

They intend to widen the investigation.

Mr. Nam, who was locked up last April for the murder of rookie actress Ms. Hwang,

has been cleared of all charges and walked free this morning after ten months.

Petit! Petit! Petit!

My man, Tae Seop!

I knew you had it in you.

I already made sure the prosecutors throw at least twenty years at Lee Yang Mi,

so relax, all right?

And Father looks like he'll check out right on schedule.

From here on, it's just us. We back each other up and rise together.

Right.

Funny how the timing lined up so perfectly, isn't it?

The timing was so perfect,

I did a deep dive into WR Hospital,

where your father's doctor works.

[VIP Ward Medical Inventory Ledger]

See right there?

Aspirin, ordered regularly, all on your instructions.

Aspirin is basically poison for someone with kidney failure.

So why was it being ordered like clockwork?

When the Chairman dies, they'll do an autopsy.

Aspirin shows up in the toxicology,

but there's nothing on the chart.

That's malpractice

and murder by proxy, isn't it?

- Look, just hear me out. - You know,

you might actually end up

outlasting your pretty stepmother behind bars.

I thought you were an idiot...

but you turned the family doctor and tried to kill your own father.

What the hell? This isn't some medieval dynasty.

All for that WR throne,

you really outdid yourself. I'll give you that.

Oh, come on...

WR's already on your side,

so why are you pulling this?

I'm the one who's taking you

all the way to the Blue House. So what is your problem?

Deep down, you know

how incompetent you are better than anyone else.

You'll turn WR into a house of cards.

I finally have WR under my heel.

I'm not about to watch it crumble.

- You piece of shit. - No.

That's not it!

Choose carefully.

Spend the rest of your life rotting in a cell

as the man who killed his own father,

or hold on to whatever's left

of that empty throne.

Sir.

From now on, every single decision about this Group

goes through me.

Petit.

The real owner of WR

just changed.

Standing where I've always dreamed of standing,

so many faces flood back.

Oh Kwang Jae, who pushed me into this world

and plunged straight into hell,

and the revolting eyes

of every man who held the power.

[Four Seasons]

I'd like to thank the trash reporters

who used their precious little fingers

to manufacture my life.

Thank you.

And

to Director Lee Yang Mi,

who ripped out my beating heart and left me with nothing but agony,

my sincerest thanks.

That we were able to climb this far

is all thanks to your petty rage

and your dirty tricks.

And

to Bang Tae Seop, who never threw me away, never let me die,

even when I was just his shield, and stood by me all the way here.

Thank you.

What were we even bleeding for,

dragging ourselves,

all the way here?

Why did we have to survive

every single one of those moments?

Through every one

of these impossible trials,

the reason I never gave up and made it to this stage

is them.

I dedicate this honor

to them.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Chu Sang Ah.

Make sure everything stays on track.

Yes, sir.

But you know what?

Aren't you a little too young to be Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs?

Well, nobody said old politics makes for good politics.

Just like this script right here.

My fellow citizens,

and members of the press,

today marks the 100th day of our new administration.

I'm here to reflect on where we may have fallen short.

I'm here to reflect on where we may have fallen short.

And to recommit ourselves to our mission.

And to recommit ourselves to our mission.

One-second pause.

[Blue House, Republic of Korea]

45 degrees right.

And smile.

First.

I'd like to express my gratitude to the people.

Thanks to your unwavering support,

we've been able to govern without disruption.

With the Seoam mayoral race just ten days out,

[Doyak's Bang Tae Seop on the Trail] former Senior Secretary Bang Tae Seop

is leading in the polls.

After spearheading sweeping reforms of prosecution and law enforcement,

Candidate Bang's approval has soared,

and he's not just the frontrunner for Seoam Mayor,

[Youth Support Fuels Presidential Buzz] he's already being talked about

as a serious contender for the presidency.

One last question.

What does Chu Sang Ah mean to you?

My wife and I have fought through

countless hardships together.

For someone who still has a long road ahead,

she's my one and only ally.

[Doyak Party, Bang Tae Seop] We need to head in. Let's wrap it here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Oh, by the way, did you hear about the WR family?

[WR Chairman Kwon Regains Consciousness, Signaling Return]

[Second son Kwon Jong Il rumored to return, replacing Director Lee Yang Mi]

WR Group Chairman Kwon Se Myeong, one of Korea's biggest names in business,

has reportedly woken up after his long fight with illness.

There are also reports that his second son, Kwon Jong Il,

is stepping back into management,

and all eyes are on WR Group's leadership shakeup.

[Director Lee Yang Mi to be Released via Special Pardon on the 20th]

[Caller ID Restricted]

This is Cheongseong Penitentiary.

This call may be monitored.

Chu Sang Ah.

I'll be seeing you

very soon.

[Waiting Room: Chu Sang Ah]

Sang Ah.

Sang Ah.

Sang Ah.

Sang Ah.

Sang Ah.

Sang Ah.

Sang Ah.

Sang Ah, stay with me.

Sang Ah!

Where am I?

Are you with me?

Are you okay?

Is this hell?

Yeah...

It's hell.

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting for.

Please welcome Candidate Bang Tae Seop

and his lifelong partner,

actress Chu Sang Ah!

[To our climax: shattered, but never broken]