Original subtitles

THE FOLLOWING CONTENT CONTAINS DEPICTIONS OF CHILD MALTREATMENT.

VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

- Heeju! - Heeju!

- Heeju! - Heeju, where are you?

- Heeju! - Heeju! Heeju!

Sunok, Sunok! Heeju!

Hey, what the hell are you doing?

How do we get down there?

- Heeju, it's me, Auntie Mija. - I swear she's nothing but trouble.

Right here!

Are you okay?

- How can we get her out of there? - What do we do?

You've got no idea how dangerous this place is.

Fine then, go on. Get back in there.

This woman is my mother.

"Nothing but bad luck."

That's what my mom always called me.

I thought my mom's misfortune was because of me.

And so I always felt guilty.

At the time, I didn't understand what that meant.

Spellbound by the dazzling lights...

...people streamed endlessly toward Gold Land.

They say not everything that glitters is gold.

In the end, it was nothing more than a gilded grave.

Maybe my mother was dazzled by those lights, too,

wagering everything she had.

Player, banker.

Hoping for a single stroke of luck.

Unfortunately, luck is never fair, is it?

Final bets.

- Ah. - Out.

You fold?

- House wins. - I can't believe this.

13, JEONGSAN BUS TERMINAL SEOKWOL-DONG

Did you eat yet?

Ramyeon.

I wanna go to school, Mom.

Da In gets to go to school and she's a year younger than me.

You can go next year.

Not here, though.

You can go in Seoul.

Really?

Yes. Really.

I just can't live in this place any longer.

We'll go to Seoul.

As always, it was just a lie.

But even if it was a lie, I wanted to believe it.

THE CITY OF DREAMS AND HOPE WELCOME TO GOLD LAND

HIGH-VALUE LOANS, HAENGBOK PAWNSHOP LENDING, PURCHASING

GOLD, SILVER, JEWELRY, WATCHES TOP PRICES PAID FOR GOLD

- Come here. - Instead of leaving like she said,

my mother got married to the pawnshop owner.

On the condition that he paid off her debt.

Both me and my mother were like collateral at his shop.

I said cut it out.

Slow down. Be careful, kids.

A heart with no destination to go always lets the feet know first.

For many years I was stuck,

walking down a road I never wanted to return to.

I prayed every day that my destination would be somewhere else.

In reality, the dream that felt so far away

only grew closer and more familiar.

♪ All the things I thought I could be ♪

♪ Wild and free ♪

♪ Leave it all behind ♪

♪ As you fall in line ♪

♪ I'm not expecting any laughter ♪

♪ There's nothing left ♪

♪ Just the pieces of everything we could have been before ♪

♪ Evermore ♪

♪ I don't feel it like I used to ♪

♪ Anymore ♪

My mother was like a plant that could no longer bloom,

slowly withering away.

The thought that I could end up like her...

...It terrified me.

♪ Still calling through the night ♪

♪ I leave behind all of the seasons... ♪

At Haengbok Pawnshop, there is no happiness.

Only someone's collateral, held like hostages.

If only I could fly somewhere else.

How nice would it be?

Anywhere.

Anywhere but here.

♪ On your own ♪

Sometimes in the evenings,

the pawnshop became a gambling den.

Soju there, cigarettes here. We have to sell it all.

Bring it here!

Mr. Han.

I said I'd give it to you by next week!

So you keep saying.

I trust money, not words.

People say they'll pay back billions, even trillions.

What's wrong?

Is your little heart pounding?

I could cut you open for screwing me out of my money.

Is that what you're worried about?

Look here. You see that?

It's easy to control it when it's my own flesh.

But on someone else's, not so much.

That's why I always cut myself first to show you.

What are you doing here?

Just my homework.

I guess I fell asleep.

Oh, really?

Heeju!

- Where are you? - I'm leaving this place.

I won't go back. That man is crazy. He's not even human. I'm too scared to.

Where else would you go?

Anywhere. I don't know.

You got any money?

How are you gonna survive on your own?

I don't know. I'll figure it out.

And you? You're okay living like this?

You actually think he sees me as his niece?

Go and stay with Mija for a while.

When your uncle cools off, you can come back.

No, Mom, why can't we just leave this place?

Don't call me Mom.

Oh, that's right.

I don't have a mother.

I almost forgot.

I'm nothing but an utterly luckless brat.

EPISODE 2 HOMECOMING

Uh, hi there.

Last night there was a car accident on National Route 6 around midnight, I think.

Have there been any reports of the accident yet?

Could you tell me what hospital he's in?

May I have the name of the person calling?

I...

There isn't?

Okay, thank you.

Hello.

I'm calling to check on a patient who was brought to the ER after

a car accident around midnight last night. It's a man...

Hey, Heeju! Heeju!

They want all of us in the office.

Why?

The police are here now.

They have some questions for all of us.

Ms. Cha, too. We gotta go.

Sure.

What is that?

That can't be normal, can it?

Yesterday, who was-who was in charge of the scanner?

Uh, I was.

The warning alarm went off, right?

Aren't you supposed to request a physical inspection from customs?

Uh, sir, well...

She reported it to me.

As the one in charge, I review all anomalies and make the final call.

A visual inspection by an expert is considered the most accurate method.

The alarms are always going off.

And for inbound cargo,

physical inspections are deemed unnecessary unless

it's an emergency.

This is because it's already been through

a thorough screening at the outbound checkpoint,

especially when transporting a casket with a dead body.

So what kind of goods

were they supposedly smuggling?

Ma'am, we never said anything about smuggling.

The police wouldn't be making such a fuss if it was for anything else.

Look, you all know this man, right?

San Air first officer Lee Dokyung.

Yeah, I've seen him around a few times.

Have you been in touch recently?

Maybe the last few days?

No.

What about everyone else?

This airport's tiny, so, weird no one knows him.

Are you asking about the captain because he's somehow connected to all this?

No, not quite. It's not like that.

Oh.

Heeju, you were working at the arrivals terminal.

You must know him.

You would have handled security for inbound crew.

Yeah.

I see.

Have you been in contact recently?

Well, it's not like we keep in touch or anything like that.

We just say hello when he went through security.

Understood.

-It's Dokyung. They found him. -Well, where is he?

He's at Yangpo Jeil Hospital.

All right, thanks everyone.

We'll be in touch.

Heeju, wait a minute.

Can I speak with you?

Prep the patient for surgery.

Yes, Doctor.

So how long have you been close with Lee Dokyung?

What?

This isn't your first time, is it?

Smuggling goods.

Uh, Ms. Cha, I'm not sure exactly what you're trying to say.

Fine.

First time or not,

keep your mouth shut and pretend you don't know anything.

If you're caught by the police, you understand you and I are both done?

Send me your resignation letter tonight.

And don't come into work tomorrow.

I'll talk to the company and sort things out.

Once the police wrap up their investigation,

someone will have to take the fall.

I don't know what's going on between you two,

but our best hope...

...Is that Lee Dokyung goes and dies.

Is Mr. Lee Dokyung's guardian here?

Here.

Looks like the surgery went well.

Mr. Lee is now in recovery.

He's in room 3103.

Is he awake yet?

Uh...

It usually takes about an hour

or two for the anesthesia to wear off, so he's still asleep.

You can't see him yet.

Sir, he still needs to rest!

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll head down to the first floor.

Okay.

Dokyung.

Wake up. It's me, Heeju.

Dokyung, can you hear me?

Dokyung.

Dokyung, can you hear me?

Heeju.

I told you not to come here, didn't I?

I said I'd contact you.

It's okay. I managed to sneak in.

And the van?

Don't worry. I hid it.

Somewhere no one will know.

- Where's that? - In Jeongsan,

in the abandoned mines.

I left it deep in the tunnels where no one goes anymore.

You did it.

You did it, Heeju.

I'll take care of everything from here.

You should go now.

I'm okay. You can go.

The police came to the airport today.

The police? Why?

Well, it looks like they think you were involved in smuggling in that casket,

and they also know you're in the hospital because of a car accident. Also...

...those men who hit you with the car,

they're here waiting for you. I saw them.

Let's turn ourselves in.

If we confess to the police now,

the charges might not be that bad.

The police aren't the problem, Heeju.

It's the men you saw outside.

If I were to tell the police where their drugs are located...

-...Those guys would... -But it's not drugs.

What?

That's not what's in the casket.

It's not drugs at all.

Then what is it?

Gold bars.

There are a whole bunch of gold bars that say 10 kilograms on them.

I didn't count, but there has to be 100.

100 ten-kilogram gold bars?

You're positive?

- Did you see them yourself? - Yeah.

Wait a minute.

You mean-you mean there's a ton of gold?

But we should just return it.

If they'll go this far to get it,

then you should just give it back to them, right?

We can tell the police that you didn't know what was in the casket because

you really didn't know, right?

No, Heeju. Wait, wait, wait, Heeju.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

So you're completely sure no one knows that you hid the van in the mines?

JEONGSAN BUS TERMINAL

Heeju.

Don't tell anyone where the casket is.

No one but the two of us can know.

I won't tell anyone, either.

I swear I'll keep it a secret.

No matter what.

Even with a knife to my throat.

From now on, this is our whole lives.

I'm gonna turn myself in.

If the police can't find the gold bars...

...I could get out in a year.

With a good lawyer I could even get a suspended sentence.

You're gonna have to keep the gold safe for us, Heeju.

Until I can get out.

DAD! BE SAFE AGAIN TODAY

First, bury the gold bars in the mine...

...so that if anyone goes in, they won't see them.

Move them one at a time.

I know you can do it.

It will take a while.

But please bury them.

Take the van back to the abandoned warehouse.

The one from that night.

Make sure you don't leave fingerprints or anything.

That way even if the police find the van, it won't matter.

They can't trace it to you.

Find a place to lay low for a while.

Don't try to contact me.

Don't even look for me.

I will find a way to contact you if it's necessary.

Hey, Captain.

It's me, Park.

Ah, open your eyes.

I know you're awake.

You look like you're gonna piss yourself.

How did a little bitch like you pull this off?

Why'd you do it?

You upset? Did I somehow upset you?

Up until now, we always got along.

You that desperate for cash?

Money always screws things up.

I understand.

Well, I guess I'm the one who put you here,

so I'm partly to blame.

Let's go back to the original deal.

The casket for 200 million.

Ah, it's fine. You don't need to say anything.

This is your phone, right?

Your partner, the one who took off with the van?

Call him.

Found his burner phone. The real one.

Now, which is it?

Huh?

All you need is a finger. Just press it, you little...

You really expect me to trust you?

You might kill me after I return the casket.

You already tried to kill me once.

Yeah, I know.

Why did I do that?

Deposit one billion won into my account.

Get all these cops off my tail.

And get me out of the country.

Then I'll tell you where the casket is.

Like I can trust you.

I've got nothin' to tell you, then.

Okay.

Heard you got 22 stitches.

Let's open 'em up!

Just one fucking phone call and this'd be over.

You should have called when I was being nice, you stupid fuck!

Sir!

Better take care of yourself.

I'll be back soon, Captain.

HAENGBOK PAWNSHOP

We're closed.

What's going on?

What are you doing here?

I'm just gonna stay here for a little.

A few days.

Well, maybe a month.

What about work?

I quit, so it'll only be until I find something else.

Don't worry. It won't be long.

You said you'd never come back.

Guess you found out the real world isn't so easy, huh?

That's what life is like for women with nothing to offer but their body.

I didn't live like you did, Auntie.

Then why'd you crawl back here?

You say it's temporary but you can't even afford a hotel?

And what about you?

Are you still living with a man who beats you?

Forget it. I'll get a hotel.

If it's really only for a little while,

you can stay here.

I said you can stay.

Have you eaten?

It's fine. I'll take care of myself.

I'll just come back here to sleep.

Is that, uh, gambling den still here?

Nope. We had to stop.

We got raided, so...

-Then what is he up to now? -I don't know.

He barely comes home these days.

That's a good thing.

I don't want him to know I'm here.

Don't tell anyone else, either.

No one around here is asking about you.

Where are you going?

I'm getting sheets for you.

You're gonna have to sleep in the vault.

The latch is broken, so make sure you lock the front door.

Oh, look at you.

The bags under your eyes look awful.

And what's on your hands?

What the hell have you been doing?

Oh, forget it.

When this goes to court, I'll need an expensive lawyer.

And money for bail.

GOLD BAR

We can sell one gold bar and use that to cover expenses.

Okay, how?

There must be a way to do it.

See what you can find out. I'll look into it, too.

HOW TO BUY AND SELL A 75-GRAM GOLD BAR?

WHAT IS A 75-GRAM GOLD BAR?

Heeju.

When I get out of prison,

the first thing we'll do is sell all the gold bars and get outta here.

Maybe France or wherever.

Somewhere no one will ever find us.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us, Heeju.

It could completely change our lives.

You can do this.

Have you ever seen this van before, sir?

No, I've never seen it before.

There's no van like that in the neighborhood,

so I have no idea how it got there.

Do you have any injuries?

I mean, I'm not hurt anywhere.

But look at this.

When I got here, everything was a mess.

It looks like someone crashed and left the van here.

We found the van, sir, with the 9900 plate.

Casket? There's no casket here.

-What do you wanna eat? -I dunno.

Ah, shit.

I'm starving.

They found the van, but the casket's not in there.

Lee Dokyung keeps denying that he knows anything about it.

- For now, at least. - Good work.

Come to the hotel soon. We'll grab food.

All the men we sent to the airport, you picked them out yourself, right?

Yeah.

You specifically told me to pick out the smartest and strongest.

Lee Dokyung didn't act on his own.

There's someone else.

Ah!

I already told you, it's not one of my boys!

I think...

You wanted to see me?

Hand over your phone. You gotta unlock it.

Where'd you hide the casket?

What?

You were the one who drove the van from Yangpo Airport.

Uh, I already told my boss all about it.

That shit head pilot.

Uh, Lee Dokyung, he...

...he pulled out a gun and held it to my head.

He took off with the van.

But that night, the first person to find our missing van was you.

You.

And you were the only one who saw the driver's face.

Aren't you gonna tell me who it was?

Uh, yeah, I mean...

I did my best to try and get a good look.

It-it was just so dark, though.

Yeah, and the casket?

Sir.

I don't know. I-I swear it wasn't me.

I-I passed out yesterday 'cause I was all beat up.

Hey, boss. This isn't right.

Get your fucking hands off.

I already know everything so either confess or lose an ear.

Sir, I dunno. I promise.

I'm telling the truth. I swear I'm telling you...

Lee Dokyung already told the police you helped him,

so just tell me where it is!

This is your last chance to confess, you asshole!

You serious?

Woogy, you shit. You tell him where it is now!

No, I don't know anything! Ah!

Please don't kill me! Please!

Get the fuck out of my sight.

Fuck!

I'll get going, sir.

It's not him?

Well, what the hell was that all about, then?

Lee Dokyung did have an accomplice, and that person hid the casket.

I had to make sure that it wasn't one of our guys.

What are you gonna do?

Seems like finding the casket isn't even our biggest problem.

Does the chairman know?

I'm sorry.

Must be really tough on you.

Didn't he say once he wraps up in Cambodia and returns to Gold Land,

he'd hand over the hotel and everything else to you?

You really should do your best not to upset him right now.

Fucker!

You need to shut it.

You can murder just about anyone.

The chairman will forgive you for that, but if you lose his money...

That's a different story.

What are you gonna do?

He'll be coming back soon.

Come on in.

Hmm.

Are you here to sell?

Oh. I'm guessing you don't recognize me.

I used to live in Bukju, too. The old mining town there.

No?

Really?

Everyone tells me I look just like when I was a kid.

I guess you don't remember.

So, tell me.

Is Heeju with you?

I heard she went to Seoul a while ago, but is she back now?

She's not.

Oh, she's not? Hmm. Thought I saw her.

Heeju's not here.

I doubt she's ever coming back.

So pawn something or get out.

Yeah, sure. Got a business to run.

See ya!

DONGHWA JEWELRY

Did you say a 10-kilogram gold bar?

Uh, I don't really have anything that big.

There's not really a market for that.

I mean, I guess if someone

really wanted one, it could be made to order, but...

- How much would it cost? - Right now?

With our economy the way it is, the current price of gold is pretty high.

A kilo could go up to 150 million,

so ten kilos is 1.5 billion.

Mm.

So, how much...

...do you think someone would be able to sell it for?

Well, first I gotta make sure it's pure gold.

So I'd need to get a look at it.

If it is pure, then I'd consider offering 1.3 or 4 billion.

I know, market price is higher than that.

Are you saying you have a 10-kilogram bar

of pure gold you're looking to sell?

Uh, no, I don't.

Just curious.

Just go.

You're wasting my time, young lady.

BEER, LIQUOR, MIJA

Who is it?

Hold on. I haven't even opened yet.

Heeju?

Wh-what are you doing here?

Auntie, how are you?

Oh, same old, same old!

This way. Oh!

Look at you. Sit down!

Excuse the mess. I was just eating.

Have you eaten yet?

Yeah.

Oh, it's been so long.

When'd you come back? You here to stay?

No, just here a little while.

You brat.

You never even called me once.

I'm sorry, Auntie.

I was busy trying to make a living.

Yeah, of course you were.

So how are you really doing?

Well...

...would you...

...could you maybe lend me some money?

How much you need?

It's kind of a lot. 50 million won or so.

I could pay it back really quickly, though.

I'll have it in a month or so.

Things haven't been easy for you, either, have they?

Of course you need money.

Sunok's cancer, I know all about it.

I mean, I tried to get her to go to the hospital, but she won't go.

She said she can barely afford food for herself.

I don't even think your uncle knows.

Not that he'd care.

Shit, he barely treats her like a person.

Oh, it pisses me off.

I know.

I know all her medical bills would be about 50 million won.

Hospital, treatments, operation.

I don't have that kind of money.

I live paycheck to paycheck, too.

I've got nothing.

Hey, Heeju!

Is that you?

It is you!

Long time, no see!

It's me, Woogy.

We both lived in that mining town when we were kids.

Sorry, I don't really...

Sure you do. I was the kid with the bald spot right here.

What'cha doin'?

You buyin' somethin'? A ring?

I can get you a good deal.

Ah, damn. It's been so long, right?

We went to, uh, elementary school together so it's been...

...over ten years now?

Okay, how 'bout Chan?

Or Seonghun? You know, the kid who followed you 'cause he liked you.

No, I don't.

Sorry, I don't remember.

Well, that hurt my feelings a little.

Hey, you really don't remember?

'Cause I remember you.

Wait, wait! What about freeze tag?

We used to always play after school together.

I'd get tagged and you'd unfreeze me.

Maybe this'll jog your memory! Freeze!

I'll see you around!

HAENGBOK PAWNSHOP

'Kay, let me see.

Yeah, this is real.

How-how much you give for it?

You don't need to know that.

And they never came back for it?

It's been over three months.

It's been over three months. Hmm.

I'll give you 25 million.

- We'll say 30 mill on the receipt, though. - Mr. Jang.

All these years we've been doing business and that's the best you can do?

I'm being generous here.

Collateral isn't worth market price.

Just pay for the gold ring and get out.

I can find someone else on my own for this.

All right, all right!

All right. All right, all right.

I'll do it.

I'll give you 27.

You understand I need to make money, too.

30 million.

Someone else already offered me 35.

Okay, all right. I'll pay you tomorrow.

You drive a hard bargain.

Ah, shit.

Fucking bitch.

Mr. Jang, wait.

Who are you?

I heard you trade in gold. Do you?

Yeah, I do.

Which pawn shop are you with?

Don't think we've met yet.

If the piece is really big, would you still buy it?

Cast gold, or something like a golden pig?

A bar. A gold bar.

A gold bar?

Is it pure? How heavy?

Ten?

I'll buy it.

I'd need to see it.

How 'bout you get in the car. Show me and we'll talk.

No.

Uh, could you just give me an estimate, please?

Sure. It's 580 won for 3.75 grams.

So ten of those is 5.8 mil,

but that's only if this whole thing is above board.

I guess since you came to me,

you can't sell it at a regular jewelry store.

Am I right?

My company, we can make a deal for 10. 100, even.

If you're serious about selling this thing, hop in. Then let's...

Uh, I don't...

I'll think about it a little more.

You can't just bring this up and then leave.

At least let me have a look at it.

-Let's see it. -What?

Is it in the bag here?

-I told you I'd give you a good deal! -Let go!

Stop it!

Ah, fuck, that stings!

Why is everyone such a fucking bitch today?

Where the hell have you been?

Someone came asking for you this morning. Some guy.

Who was it?

No idea. That's why I'm asking.

He said he lived in the same town as us,

but I don't recognize him.

He seemed shady.

Like one of those thugs who collect money for loan sharks.

Did you borrow money?

Tell me you haven't been gambling.

No, I'm not like you.

I would never.

TYLENOL

What are you, sick?

Have you been in pain?

Doesn't matter.

It's cancer, isn't it?

Mija told you.

Why didn't you tell me?

You ran away 'cause you hate me.

Then at least listen to Mija when she tells you to go to the doctor.

I did.

I did go.

Doctor said it was bone cancer or something.

Then we have to go back.

Go back so we can find out what stage it is,

what treatments there are, if you need surgery.

Are you sitting around here like an idiot just because of money?

What's with you?

We're going to the hospital tomorrow.

I don't even have money for food.

We'll figure out a way to make the money later.

Oh, is that how it works?

If life were that easy, why are we here?

I've looked into it more than enough.

The doctors said I was better off not knowing.

The surgery might get me a few more years.

Or I could die now. What's the difference?

We're all gonna die anyway.

Oh, I'm tired of living like this.

Come on. You don't really mean that, do you?

We're going to the doctor tomorrow.

Just let it go.

You want me to call an ambulance? I'm taking you one way or another.

Be sure to lock the door when you go to sleep.

But...

HAENGBOK PAWNSHOP

- Who are you? - Holy fuck, you scared me.

You gotta be kidding.

Everyone's walkin' around with a gun lately.

You know that shit's illegal, right?

Get out or I'll scream.

This isn't Seoul, Heeju. You think anyone will come for you?

I already called the police.

Bullshit.

The police? You really want that?

We met a few days ago.

And I almost fucking died.

The person in the van. It was you.

At first I wasn't so sure.

But when I saw you on the street, I knew.

Don't act like you know me. You're not my friend.

Don't change the subject.

Where's the casket?

We found the van back at the warehouse.

But the casket was missing.

Tell me where it is.

Ah.

That it?

Stay right there!

I'm not afraid to shoot you.

You sure it's loaded?

You can find anything at a pawn shop.

Do you really want to find out?

Okay, okay.

Yeah, I guess that's true.

But just think for a sec.

That stuff in the casket. The drugs.

Come on.

Do you even know how to sell it?

You can't do it alone.

Lee Dokyung's basically crippled after his accident.

What good are the drugs to you, huh?

If you can't sell 'em, they're useless.

- Heeju... - I said don't move!

I came here to help you out, Heeju.

If I wanted to hurt you, I would have brought the others.

Let's just talk, yeah?

Don't-don't move! I swear I'll shoot you!

Put the gun down.

I told you to stay!

Ah, shit.

I knew it. You're a fuckin' liar.

- Holy shit! - No, wait.

Look, I tried to be nice, but shit.

I'll fucking shank you, so stay down.

Why the fuck is this thing so heavy?

Oh, fuck.

Heeju.

What is this?