Original subtitles

Partners for Justice

What are you trying to pull?!

Why would my son kill himself? Why?

What do you know?

What... What do you know?

My son wouldn't commit suicide, you jerk!

Stop talking nonsense!

Why would my son kill himself? Why?

Please calm down.

Calm down? Do you think you could if this happened to you?

You never think about the others, do you?

You're one selfish scumbag by nature!

- Stop it. - Why should I stop?

You concluded that it was suicide based on...

- the estimated time of death? - It's estimated time of death.

Gastric-emptying time is different for everyone!

How can you conclude only based on that?

He was a 16-year-old boy.

He had 180 grams of white rice cake and 200 cc of milk.

The margin of error is within half an hour.

- He was alone when he fell. - Did you witness it? Did you?

We checked it with the CT scans after eating the same meal.

You stay out of this.

Dr. Ma, please calm down.

How could I calm down, sir?

It's not true. This is all rubbish!

You should just file a negative autopsy, you jerk.

But you don't want that, do you?

That's why you're forcing it to be a suicide!

- Let's trust Dr. Baek for now. - Trust him? Why would I?

You always side with that jerk!

But I can't trust a single word from that jerk!

Go back to work.

My goodness. Seriously. What's going on?

What happened?

The lunch Sung-jae had...

was found in his duodenum, not his stomach.

That means that four hours had passed after the consumption.

Four hours after his lunchtime?

That day, Sung-jae had a late lunch. He had it at 4 p.m.

So four hours after his lunchtime is...

8 p.m.

He was alone then.

That's why it's presumed to be suicide.

- This is Eun Sol speaking. - Prosecutor Eun.

You must come to Gangdong Police Station now.

What are you doing?

Hey.

- Hey, hey. Are you Park Jun-ha? - What are you doing?

Gosh, who are you?

Honey, stop it. What's wrong with you?

What's wrong with me?

You know that our son didn't commit suicide!

I'm going to get to the bottom of this.

I won't let those jerks get away with this.

- Okay, but we can't do this here. - No.

Honey.

Park Jun-ha

Park Jun-ha.

You pushed Sung-jae, didn't you?

- Tell me the truth! - What are you doing?

Have you gone mad?

Jun-ha, are you all right? Did he hurt you?

Tell me the truth. You pushed my son!

He didn't push anyone! You're unbelievable.

You think only of your son.

How could you be so shameless after killing my son?

- Your son is a murderer. - What? "A murderer"?

What did you say? How dare you call my son a murderer?

You must've lost your mind!

Jun-ha had nothing to do with Sung-jae's death!

- Sir, you can't do this here. - What? What did you say?

Please don't do this here.

Ma'am, please stop your husband.

How is this a school?

My son died, but no one cares about my son's death!

How could this be a school?

No one is taking responsibility for it!

And you call yourselves human?

This is it. The tenant on the fourth floor...

noticed that someone kept throwing cigarette butts from the rooftop.

It almost started a fire when it caught on the laundry.

The tenant installed the camera to catch the culprit.

After hearing about the incident, the tenant played the video.

And this was recorded.

- What is it? Let's watch it. - Okay. Here it is.

- Hey... - My gosh.

Hey, hey. Play that again. What was that? I didn't see it.

- Okay. - Play it again.

Oh, dear.

The NFS' estimated time of death was correct.

Sung-jae...

- fell when he was alone. - Does it mean this is a suicide?

Now we have to close the case as that.

- Calm down? How could I calm down? - Please calm down.

You don't know anything. You know nothing!

- You don't know anything. - We got it.

Please calm down. Why don't you sit down and talk?

A lunatic like him was making a big scene in front of a school.

Now I don't feel comfortable sending my son to school anymore.

A lunatic?

Your son is a murderer. Do you know that?

Prosecutor Eun.

Please. Please re-investigate the case.

My son isn't the type who'd commit suicide. He'd never.

I won't let this slide.

My husband is furious right now. We're going to file a lawsuit now.

Dr. Ma.

For the time being, we're investigating based on...

the estimated time of death from the NFS.

I'm letting this go for Sung-jae's sake.

We could've filed charges for assault.

I'm sorry.

You think you're the only one suffering?

I'm about to lose my mind too.

I'm sorry.

They said Jun-ha and the others went down before Sung-jae.

It drives me crazy to not know what happened to our son.

I'm sure he didn't commit suicide.

But there's nothing I can do for him.

I just checked the security camera.

Sung-jae did fall at 7:50 p.m.

- Suicide... - I didn't confirm it as suicide.

- What? - We can only rule out homicide,

since he fell when he was alone.

But we can't rule out accidental death.

Then are you saying he was goofing around on the rail,

- and missed his footing? - That's not it either.

- If he did, 15 feet is too far. - What did you want to say?

Hey, you. Talk.

Hey, Jin-dol. Stop eating, and talk to me.

Isn't this your fourth year at the NFS?

Schooled dogs can recite letters during their third year.

Shouldn't you be able to classify deaths during your fourth year?

What? I'm just asking him for an opinion. Aren't I allowed to?

We call this a second opinion...

when we seek out an opinion of another expert.

Seek out all you want.

Good luck with that.

I'm doing fine.

In many ways.

My goodness.

It did seem like he'd gone pretty insane.

He managed to solve problems after staying up all night for a week.

A zombie by day,

and a studying machine by night. That crazy idiot.

Are you boys done?

- What are you doing? - Go out now.

I have to clean up.

Little boys.

- It's me. - You're slacking off...

after making me do all the work, right?

No, I'm not.

It sounds like Sung-jae was bullied and left out in school.

Left out?

I can smell something.

- Where are you right now? - What? Boys' restroom.

That's why it smells.

- That's not what I mean. - I'm hanging up.

Hello? Hey.

Gosh, he always hangs up on me.

Prosecutor Eun. It's about Sung-jae.

National Forensic Service

Letter of Resignation

What is this?

I apologize, Director Park.

Chief Ma.

You can go on leave. Get some rest and...

Sung-jae wasn't someone who'd kill himself.

I'm going to prove Dr. Baek wrong,

and make sure he never sets foot in this field ever again.

Yes?

Hello.

You said it's about Medical Examiner Baek Beom.

I remembered what you said at the National Forensic Service.

Will you stop?

You killed with those hands!

I was quite upset at that time.

I want to prove that his autopsy result is wrong.

Hello.

This is Professor Pyo Yoo-seong of Forensics at Hangook University.

I believe you two are acquainted.

It's been a while since we've met at the symposium last year.

Yes, it's been a while. Thank you for coming.

Have a seat.

I received all the data.

I can't come forward myself.

That's why I need a second opinion.

I'll look through thoroughly and objectively.

My son would never commit suicide.

He bought this with the money he saved up for a year.

It was delivered on the day of his burial.

He must've been waiting for that.

Death by falling is...

the hardest to prove that someone was murdered.

I've seen thousands of bodies that have died from falling.

I understand it's hard to prove he was murdered with a crushed body.

You're correct.

Those jerks came up with a meticulous plan to kill my son.

Prosecutor Eun. It's about Sung-jae.

It seems he was bullied and left out in school.

Ma Sung-jae

Come in.

Are you staying up all night again...

with help from that mixed caffeine drink?

That's my seat.

If you mix all three of those, it'll be over 1000 mg of caffeine.

Did you want to be top of the class that badly?

Or did you want to be like Sung-jae?

You take the same nutritional supplements as him,

and you study with the same reference books he used.

Modafinil, Methylphenidate, Benfotiamine, Albumin

Modafinil, Methylphenidate, Benfotiamine, Albumin

English, Economy Concert, Math Basics, Archeology

Literature, Analects of Confucius, Society and Culture

Workbook, Second Language, Physics 2, Earth Sciences 2

You felt inferior to him,

because you always got beaten by someone younger.

What do you know?

But it wasn't just you.

All the students in this school...

were jealous of Sung-jae.

But you didn't kill him. Right?

I'm sorry...

I suspected you.

I just wanted to know what happened on the rooftop.

I was upset.

Everyone took his side,

and even cheated just because he was the top of the class.

Midterm, period 1

On that day, as we were taking the test,

Sung-jae suddenly collapsed.

Sung-jae!

So I was kind of excited that I could finally be...

- the #1. - Hey, you might become the top.

Exactly.

Sung-jae's done for. Why did he suddenly collapse?

- Congratulations in advance. - Forget it.

Hey, this is huge.

Sung-jae is allowed to take the test in the nurse's office.

- What? - Then I suddenly heard that...

Sung-jae was allowed to take the test in the nurse's room.

They gave him special treatment just because he's the #1.

Hey, the guard is gone. Let's go.

Hey, get Sung-jae.

I got really angry, so I took him to the rooftop with the guys.

Why do you get special treatment? Do you think you're a big shot?

Look at how pathetic he is.

What's in that head of yours? Let's factorize what's in there.

You take drugs every day, right?

Your mom always brings them for you.

Why do you get sick even after taking so many drugs? Why?

Sung-jae.

Next time, try to play fair.

It's cheating to take the test alone in the nurse's office.

Okay. I understand.

We just swore at him for a bit, told him to play fair,

and then came back down.

He's the one who cheated first.

I just wanted to scare him a bit.

Did he really kill himself...

because of me?

No, right?

Was it really because of me?

What are you looking at?

Do you have your car here?

- I do. - I need to go to the NFS.

You can go, then.

Hey.

I'm asking you to come with me.

The result of Sung-jae's toxic substances test came out.

May I ask you something?

What?

Do you really talk to dead bodies?

Are you hiding something in your home?

Do you have a dead body in your fridge or something?

It's so hot.

Hand.

- What? - Put your hand back in.

It'll get cut off if you get into an accident.

And when you drive, wear flat shoes, not heels.

Simultaneous

What are you doing?

Watch out.

I couldn't wait to hear the results.

Gosh.

- What's this? - Pinpoint pupil.

His pupils are small.

Pupils dilate when one dies.

This is the opposite. His pupils constricted.

That's...

Itchy boils.

They're all symptoms of a narcotic addiction.

What? Narcotics?

I've never seen this much toxic in a teenager's body.

I mean, what kind of a high-school student takes this much drugs?

Doctor...

Sorry. I got a bit upset.

Sung-jae had...

toxins the like of what you'd see in an ICU patient.

We detected over ten substances.

I think it's a mix of western, Chinese, and folk remedies.

Armodafinil, diazepam, phenamin, methylphenidate,

atomoxetine, albumin, zinc extract, and caffeine.

Then the Chinese medicine. Baekboksi, seokchangpo, ginger.

What's really odd was,

I found seal, loach, sturgeon extract,

- red ginseng, wild ginseng... - Wait.

You found all that in Sung-jae's body?

And many more.

What are you saying?

Most substances were stimulants, tonics,

or protein supplements.

I found something odd.

Methylphenidate and armodafinil.

Wait. What and what?

They're components of ADHD medicine.

In the past,

some countries gave them to soldiers or pilots.

It improves concentration when on duty for long periods.

And suppresses fatigue.

Does a high-school senior stand guard? He's no soldier.

It makes human an aggressive zombie.

And this.

Amphetamine.

Medicinal substance tests

It's a narcotic stimulant.

The cause of pinpoint pupil and the itch.

It's illegal to import amphetamine stimulants.

Side effects include visual and auditory hallucinations,

and you build a tolerance or get addicted.

If it was this bad, it means he took actual narcotics too.

Some U.S. hospitals use a tapering drug.

- It could've been smuggled in. - It would've been worth it.

It's very effective at stimulating the central nervous system.

One pill contains 3.13 mg.

Sung-jae's samples showed a reading of 30 mg.

That means he took ten pills at once.

Prosecutor Eun, about Sung-jae.

He didn't sleep for a week,

and managed to stay up and sit the exam.

His nickname was Daytime Zombie and Nighttime Study Machine.

They were studying for exams.

The kids said Sung-jae studied all the time and never slept.

- He was always zoning out. - It was the side effect.

If he took these kinds of drugs for an extended period,

his liver would be severely distressed,

and his central nervous system would've been a mess.

- The worst side effects are... - Hallucinations and delirium.

The kid was sick.

Did the drugs kill him?

We can't say for sure.

He took them for a long time, not just a few times.

It'll be hard to pinpoint the correlation...

- between the drugs and death. - It was exam week.

He could've taken more than usual.

How will you prove that?

They dragged him with them.

What if he took the drugs with him?

Show me the video of the kids in the elevator.

Sure.

Look.

You're right. There's something in his pocket.

He could've taken them on the roof.

There were no pill bottles among Sung-jae's belongings.

There's a possibility he fell willingly,

but we aren't sure if it's suicide.

There's evidence he took drugs,

but we can't prove the correlation with his death.

Does that mean it's an open verdict?

Can you tell his parents you don't have a conclusive answer?

Is that your conclusion?

- Lieutenant Cha. - What?

We have to go to Sung-jae's crime scene.

What? What for?

To find the pill bottle.

A what? Why?

Call Forensics for their help.

Help? To do what? Why are you guys...?

You can't all get into my car. Stella, sit up front.

Stella, up front. Not you.

I didn't see you.

Sorry, Stella...

Stella, how about...

after we find the bottle, we get something to eat?

Just the two of us.

How about some meat later?

- Yesterday was slaughter day. - Was it?

The meat will just have come out of rigor mortis.

Fantastic. Let's go.

Just have what?

- Let's see... - Excuse me. Hello?

This side...

Gotcha.

- I found it. - Over here!

How did you find it?

Hang on, what...?

It drives me crazy to not know what happened to our son.

Can you tell his parents you don't have a conclusive answer?

It was exam week. He could've taken more than usual.

How will you prove that?

I don't care about that jerk.

I hope we scared some sense into him.

- Did you see how scared he was? - That should be enough.

Sung-jae, I told you to lift the toilet seat when you go.

Make sure you zip up your fly when you come out.

Sung-jae, great job.

You came in first again, right? Congratulations.

Mom, what about my parcel?

Oh, right. It didn't come today.

It'll be here soon.

Let's eat first.

- Can I sleep for a bit and eat? - You must be sleepy.

Sure. Why don't you just go to bed today?

- Really? - Yes.

Can I really sleep?

You're at the top of your class. Do whatever you want today.

- I'm really going to bed. - Sure.

Yes!

I'll jump onto my bed just like this.

Sung-jae, stop jumping onto your bed.

Sung-jae.

Sleep tight.

Prosecutor Eun.

Wake up.

Prosecutor Eun.

My gosh.

If I don't call you after an hour,

please come to my place.

I might be in need of a doctor.

The passcode is 1234.

What is this?

Prosecutor Eun. Prosecutor Eun.

Are you all right?

I know now.

- I know what happened to Sung-jae. - Are you crazy?

How many of those did you take?

I was reminded of my past.

We had those pills too.

Pills we took during the exam week when we felt sleepy.

My parents...

only favored my older brother.

They didn't pay any attention to me.

That's why...

I obsessed over getting good grades so they'd notice me.

Now I get it.

- How Sung-jae must've felt. - Good job.

Next time, get stabbed, fall, and do everything.

Of course it hurts. My gosh.

Don't take pills for migraines. It'll damage your liver. Here.

Case Study on Synergistic Action of Stimulants

What... What is this?

It's a case study about synergistic action of amphetamine,

and visible and auditory hallucinations from the side effect.

Then can we prove he hallucinated?

We found the empty bottle in the garden.

The leftover powder was amphetamine.

Did you have to take the pills to identify what they were?

That's weird.

My head hurts, but...

What's wrong with me?

It's because dopamine and noradrenaline hiked in your body.

Noradrenaline excites the sympathetic nerve system

When you feel good, just sleep it off. Sleeping is the best.

What did you say?

What are you talking about?

What...?

Is it because you're twisted?

Seeing you sideways is slightly better.

You know that Jin-dol is...

the only one who likes you, right?

Wait. Hold on a second, Dr. Psycho.

- What? - Let me ask you a question. Okay?

- What is it? - Let's be honest here.

Do you really think I'm a joke?

I know you really hate me,

patronize me,

and look down on me. I know all that.

So what?

At times, you're such a selfish jerk.

But at times, you can be so humane.

I can't figure you out.

Did you really kill a person?

- No, I didn't. - It wasn't an intentional accident?

- I don't know about that. - Why don't you?

I don't remember.

I remember before and after the accident, but not the accident.

Fool.

You forgot the most important part. My gosh.

Yes, I forgot the most important part.

By the way, why are you...

answering all my questions honestly? Why?

You're known to be sharp-tongued.

When the drugs wear off, you won't remember this conversation.

Go to sleep.

What?

What did you...? You're writing a novel.

- Hey, get out. Get out. - Goodness.

He put something on the door...

Read the case study about amphetamine and its side effects.

If you need more information, consult the NFS.

Are you ready to order?

Yes. Stella, do you want to get the ribeye?

When it comes to marbling, ribeye is the best.

Give us 150 grams of the sirloin from the lower part,

130 grams of each flank and flat iron,

and 100 grams of each outside round steak and the tri-tip.

Okay.

There are different kinds of sirloin.

The lower sirloin is from #10 to 13 of the backbone.

That part is the best grilled.

Wow. Fantastic. You're absolutely perfect.

It's nothing.

- All right. - Should we try the tri-tip first?

Tri-tip? Sure. Tri-tip...

- Let me. That's not it. - What?

I know that.

No, you don't. It's hidden here. Here's tri-tip.

Tri-tip.

It's time.

Great.

Try it.

Excellent.

It's cooked.

Okay.

Have some.

None for me, I guess.

Perfect.

Stella, don't you remember the fixed amount?

We had that the other night. 2 to 8 and 7.2% alcohol.

Soju, 9.8 cc.

Beer, 3.2 cc.

Alcohol proof, 7.25.

That's the perfect point.

You got me fascinated.

That's the formula.

Go. Next round.

Then I'll mix one this time.

No.

One more shot, please.

I can do this easily without measuring it.

It's easy. Do it like this.

Good.

- Cheers? - Cheers.

I said you had nothing to worry about.

Your son must get into a good school to do great things.

There should be no stumbling blocks.

Yes, sure. Please send my regards to him too.

Let's meet up soon.

Yes. Goodbye.

Seoul Eastern District Prosecutor's Office

Murder charges are not pressed.

National Forensic Service

Amphetaminic stimulant?

Narcotics?

Who on earth fed this to my kid?

Honey.

It's me.

I bought it for him.

It was supposed to help him stay up.

What have you done to our child?

They said it'd help with his studies.

Sung-jae liked it because it helped him focus too.

What have I done?

No, what have I done?

Have you gone insane?

What about you?

All you've done was brag about how he's the top of his class.

You haven't done a thing.

Did you ever care about how hard he had to work...

to live up to your expectations?

What am I going to do?

Goodness.

Here.

That drug...

is banned in Korea.

Please tell us...

how you got them.

What am I going to do?

To prevent other kids from being victimized,

we need...

your help.

Set up your password.

Choose your payment option.

Your locker is opened. You may put in your articles.

Aram Station, locker #13

#27, 956777

Your locker is open.

You may take your articles.

Open your locker now?

What is this?

Hi.

Darn it.

You're under an emergency arrest for violating the Narcotics Law.

You!

You rat.

Darn it.

Let go of me!

Stay still.

Beloved son, Ma Sung-jae, takes his root down for another life

How did you know?

That's his favorite.

I saw that...

in Sung-jae's...

school locker.

I'm sorry for everything.

And thank you.

I hope...

you two will be better soon.

Sung-jae did nothing wrong.

He just had whatever I gave him.

It's all my fault.

Sung-jae was such a good kid.

Don't be so hard on yourself.

Letter of Resignation

When you pull yourself together, come back.

I'll be waiting.

I'm sorry.

All I ever said to him was to be a good student.

I never told him...

I loved him,

or that I was so proud of him.

To the day he died, I never said that to him.

I had...

I had no idea I'd regret it so much.

Sung-jae.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I couldn't protect you.

Sung-jae.

Dad's so sorry.

It's me.

I just thought...

we could eat together,

Dad.

Have some.

And try this one too.

- Okay. - Eat up.

- Do you like it? - Yes.

Family...

Seo Hyun.

- Hello. - Mommy.

Hey, Seo Hyun.

There's my girl. How was your day?

- Family can be the most selfless. - Give Mommy a kiss.

- Dad. - Yes?

Can you step away a little?

Some might think you've lured a minor.

Right?

And at the same time, they can be the most selfish.

Dad.

Goodness, look who this is.

Beom, it's been so long.

Have you eaten?

Yet...

they're those you can never abandon.

Partners for Justice

Hesitation Marks: Left during a suicide

They're ten years old. They were hard to find.

Yes, I think that'll do.

See you then. Bye.

How've you been?

Is Mom well?

Why are you here?

I'm getting married.

- So what? - I wanted to tell you first.

You said you'd work for charity your whole life.

You said you think more of strangers than your own family.

Don't talk about Mom now. You disgust me.

- Hyun. - She still...

cries herself to sleep, thinking of you.

Don't show up in front of us again.

I shouldn't have left you like that.

Let's meet up with Mom someday.

You'll become an uncle soon.

Wait, wait.

Guess what?

You changed my life.

Look. My lifeline is longer.

This is what they call a handmade line on the palm.

- Look. - Don't drive so roughly.

Do you think you're a race car driver?

- Hello. - Hi, how are you?

We have a body of a middle-aged male.

A neighbor called, but he didn't pick up,

so Security went to check and found his body.

Any ID?

We just got here. We'll check when we get upstairs.

Okay. Oh, wait, wait.

How is Lieutenant Cha? Is he okay?

He's off for the rest of the week.

Our chief told him to take a break.

I see. Thanks.

Hello.

- Welcome. - You came yourself?

I'm filling in for Dr. Ma.

Let's all go upstairs then.

Let's see.

What's that? Come over here.

Seoul Eastern District...

Just a moment. We need to check something first.

What's the problem?

You can see the body later.

What's the matter?

The thing is...

What thing is what? Get out of our way.

- Can't you just...? - Let go of me.

Why...?

It's...

It's... It's Mr. Seo.

Prosecutor Kang. Prosecutor Kang!

- Move! - Not yet. The scene's not clear.

- I said, move! - Wait a bit. They're almost done.

No, I have to see him. I have to check.

Wait, Hyun. Calm down.

My investigator's in there! Jeong-min's in there!

- I said, move! - Please don't.

Move! Jeong-min!

Jeong-min, it's not you, right? Jeong-min! Jeong...

Jeong-min!

Prosecutor Kang.

Other than the head injury...

and the injection mark, we found no external traumas.

We'll know more once we do an autopsy.

- An autopsy? - No signs of struggle...

or forced entry through the windows or door.

Was he alone?

He could've known the attacker.

You're right.

I think he was with someone. Look.

There's only one smashed glass,

but two are missing.

There's a security camera in the parking lot.

- Could we find out who...? - The camera's a fake.

It's just a model of a camera.

I was hoping to find something.

Sodium Pentothal

Succinylcholine?

Sodium pentothal?

Cause of death. Injection of sodium pentothal and succinylcholine,

which caused respiratory organ failure.

Is an ordinary person capable of injecting these drugs?

Injecting into the vein is tough...

unless you're a medical professional.

You could cause death by injecting these drugs into muscles,

but then death would be very slow and painful.

We can't be sure about anything yet.

We'll consider every possibility,

and get to the truth with scrutiny and thorough investigation.

Get me Mr. Seo's call history from yesterday immediately.

His call history going back three months and social-media details.

Please go through everything.

Yes, sir.

The dashboard cams in parked cars might've caught something.

Check all the cars that were parked there yesterday and today.

Yes, sir.

Go over all the cases Mr. Seo was investigating.

We must check if anything happened to make someone...

want to kill him.

Okay, I'll do that.

What a mess.

Everything we do tends to upset people.

I have Mr. Seo's call history from yesterday.

Current time is 9:10. We'll begin the autopsy.

You can't come in here. There's a viewing room...

You can't continue Seo Jeong-min's autopsy.

- What? - As of this moment,

until his autopsy is complete,

all NFS personnel are banned from the autopsy room and viewing room.

Please leave.

Search-and-Seizure Warrant

Judge Choi Bong-kyu

- Based on what grounds? - Destruction of evidence.

You can't perform the autopsy,

since you killed him.

The last person Mr. Seo called...

was you!

Call History

Partners for Justice

Mr. Baek Beom, you're under arrest...

for the murder of Seo Jeong-min as of now.

This is too hard, Hyun.

Baek Beom doesn't have an alibi, and we have definite proof.

What are you talking about? Who killed who?

I brought everything upon myself, Dad.

It's not a home that belongs to someone with normal mentality.

It's the same drug that killed Mr. Seo.

We found the decisive evidence.

You lost your mind when you saw this photo.

You decided to kill him because you were scared that...

we might find out about your crime ten years ago.

Fine. I did it. Are you happy now?

Partners for Justice