Original subtitles

Memories are floating in my mind

like islands scattered in the sea

Now, I will row to these islands one after another

This film is dedicated to my friends and their family

Joon-suk!

Joon-suk!

Eat your food first

Joon-suk was the best fighter I ever saw

He once beat up a whole soccer team

Yesterday, my mom brought a TV recorder from Japan

A TV recorder? What's that?

It records the TV like a cassette player

Stop lying! There's no such thing!

No, I'm serious!

It's really a TV recorder

If it's true, then all the TV stations are history

Everyone's gonna record everything on TV

Yeah

No, it's true! Wanna bet on it?

- All right - Man, you're stubborn

You see?

Sang-taek your tube's mine now

I gotta see it work to believe it

You know what the smart word for a woman's thing is?

Vulva!

You idiot! There's no such word

They call it menstruation

Menstruation? What's that?

I looked through my aunt's magazine,

and that's all it talked about

Then is pussy called menstruation too?

Yeah, grown-ups call it menstruation instead

You wanna see another one?

Joong-ho's mom often visited Japan on business

So he had lots of great stuff at home

He was also a big Bruce Lee fan

Menstruation picture? What's that?

Which one do you want? Pick one

- How about this one? - Wow!

- How much is it? - That one's expensive

It's the biggest one so it costs 2000 won

- 2000 won? - Forget it then

No, I'll be back with some money

Hey, come here

- You better keep quiet, okay? - Okay

Joon-suk

It's cool

Give it here

Wow! It's cool!

We became friends with Dong-su in third grade

But it was two years before we learned that

his father was an undertaker

Then why don't we start a war with them now?

Haven't you seen those statistics on TV?

There are less of us, but our

weapons are way more advanced

Idiot!

That's what President Park wants us to think

You know how great North Korean commandos can fight?

And Russia gives them a shitload of weapons

Yeah, but America gives us a lot too

Says who?

Joon-suk!

- Where you headed? - To the pebble beach

- Want a ride? - No, thanks

Yeah? I'll see you later then

Oh yeah, Hyung-doo!

That's the big boss's son Joon-suk

- Joon-suk, what grade are you in? - Sixth grade

See you later!

Let's go

Who's that?

Isn't he one of your dad's men?

Wow! It's cool!

Gangster!

If he wasn't that fast how'd he win the gold medal?

Cause he raced with humans

and humans swim on top of the water

People can't breathe under water

So he has to swim on top

That's why he'd lose

Why? Why would he lose?

Anyway, it doesn't matter who's faster

Joon-suk! Who do you think is faster?

What?

If the gold medallist Cho Oh-ryun

and a sea turtle raced in the water

Don't know

Then you wanna bet on it?

That's all you ever think about

I don't remember why

they were so into that race

Cause he keeps harping on it, idiot!

Later, we went to separate middle schools

But after hair started growing on our bodies

we hung out together again

Man, I felt like a big idiot

So I made a mean face

and asked those pricks if they wanted to brawl

But they chickened out right away and apologized

Out of my way!

Hey, aren't those pricks from Chunghak High?

Look at those losers

Should I shut'em up?

We welcome you to Namhang

High School's 21st anniversary

- Thank you for coming to our celebration - I know that you'll enjoy

Now it's time for today's highlight event

listening to this seven-girl band Rainbow

I hope you have a good time

Now, let me introduce you to

Rainbow!

See that pretty girl on the keyboard?

She's mine

Sang-taek! Come and eat

Mom, something good happen?

We have our own house now

We signed the lease today

Really?

We have to wait a few months before moving

- Where is it? - In Bosu-dong

Bosu-dong

But that's far away from my school

Your brother needs to study for his college exam

But still

Okay, from our last lesson

Can somebody give an example

of an infinitive in passive form?

Joo-bun!

Give me an example

I'm not sure

You're not sure?

Since you're not sure tell me what you know

- I'm not sure at all - You proud of that?

Kneel on your desk! Next in line!

I have no idea

You kneel, too! Behind him!

No,no

Not behind him the one next to him

The little rat in the far back

Working hard back there, huh? Take your socks off first!

You call yourself a student?

Go back! Next!

What does your father do?

- He's a businessman - A businessman?

You good-for-nothing!

Your father puts up with his

boss to get you through school

and you can't even get thirty questions right?

Come here!

Hurry up!

Go on

Next!

What does your father do? I said what does he do?

- He's an undertaker - An undertaker?

Your father grooms corpses

to put you through school

How can you study like this, huh?

Go on!

Come back here

Next!

What does your father do

Speak! What does he do?

He's a gangster

I don't believe this

You bastard

Come here

Good for you!

Your father's a gangster, huh?

Good for you!

Why don't you tell him

What's so good about it?

Dong-su! Let's go!

Is his dad really a gangster?

Yes, sir!

How about him? Is he a gangster too?

- He's the boss of our school - Boss?

He's the best fighter

Then is the other one his assistant?

- No, he's second boss - Second boss?

Yes, teacher

I think you made a mistake

Anyhow, who are you to say I made a mistake?

You disrespectful prick!

Put your hands down!

What are you looking at?

Clear!

What's that? Put it away

- What are you doing on Sunday? - Why?

Wanna go to Joon-suk's house?

After class last week, Joon-suk. . .

Doruko is a friend of Joon-suk's

Older than us, though

Anyway, he said that Jin-sook is his cousin

- Jin-sook? - The singer from Rainbow!

Doruko's bringing all the girls to Joon-suk's house on Sunday

I'm going Let's go!

If things go right you might get laid

- Laid? - Yeah

Joon-suk!

What's happening?

Heard you weren't coming

You never met, right?

That's Doruko, the 'knife king'

Nice to meet you!

You guys came to see the girls, right?

You saw them once before The band Rainbow

or Seven Scary Princesses

Sit down!

This is Wild Cat

She's so wild I'm trying to tame her

You bad girl

She needs to get laid to calm down

Let's get laid

Ever seen a flying bird's dick? What's so funny?

My friend here's a straight-A student

He's different from idiots like us

He's always at the top of our school

Look

He even carries around a handkerchief

Why's it so damn loud?

I thought you'd come over before

To see me, not the girls

I'm sorry

Nothing to be sorry about between friends

I wish we'd gone to the same middle school

If we hung out then I'd be a good student

Then why don't you start studying again?

Who do you want?

- What? - The girls

Pick one of the three

Was the one sitting next to you yours?

Jin-sook?

No

three, four, five six, seven, eight

Jin-sook! Come here!

That's it

- Come here! - Who, me?

Let's do it together

Please have a seat

- You can play? - A little

Then play it

All I can play is

- Why'd you do that? - Do what?

Why'd you do that for Sang-taek?

He's my friend

What about me?

I didn't call her for you

Then what am I?

Am I just your sidekick?

You wanna die?

You wanna die?

You're so innocent

Actually, I'm older than you

I got sick in the eighth grade so I had to repeat it

Really?

Let's be friends

Today, I'm only gonna kiss you

Where are you going?

Jin-sook! It's been fuckin' ages!

Go away!

When'd you get the attitude, bitch?

Are you fucking crazy? Get up, asshole

Hey! You fuckin' bastard

Crazy idiot

What the hell's this?

Little sissy

Go ahead

Fucking bastards

- Give it here - Are you okay?

Give it to me, asshole!

What do you got this for?

What are you staring at? Fucking bastards

Get up, get up!

Get up, asshole!

Stand up straight, you bastards

Fucking assholes

Who do you think you are?

Count

I said count, asshole!

One, two, three

I was cumming just like that!

But right then, my aunt burst open the door

Man, you know how surprised I was?

My aunt saw my hand

and asked me, "What's that?"

I was so nervous know what I said?

What?

Oh, this?

It's just lotionmilk. . lotionmilk

Stop lying!

I'm serious!

Look at those assholes

- What? - Those pricks over there!

Come here, you assholes!

I said come here!

You girls okay? Come here, assholes!

Let's go Come here, assholes!

Sang-taek

Yeah?

Next time you pick a fight

finish the job

Before, I was just

Otherwise if you don't

he'll come fight with you again

Beat him up bad

so that he pees in his pants

if you even make eye contact

Or forgive him and become allies

Or make him a cripple instead

so there's no more trouble later

Great

Next time I'll do as you say

Now you do me a favor

I need to talk with you

What did the teacher say? Did he have a fit again?

He expelled us already

Shit!

It went well We can go to school tomorrow

You bastard!

- Thanks to you - Come on

Let's go to the movies to celebrate

- A movie? - Yeah

The tail buys the tickets

What tail?

- Let's race! - That little

Here!

- Wanna see it? - With them?

Why not?

Get out of the way!

Dickheads!

Sit your ass down!

What are you staring at? I'll rip your eyes out!

Man, it's big as a horse

Come on

- Let's go in, idiot! - Hurry up

Give me a cigarette

Man, it stinks! Smells like shit!

- Give me a cigarette - Got a lighter?

He looks familiar

You fucking asshole!

Really?

Joon-suk! Sang-taek's getting jumped!

Hurry up! Hurry up!

What's up?

Let's go!

All this had happened because of me

So I made one of my life's biggest decisions

Grab it

Grab it hard!

Lift it

The towel The towel!

What are you waiting for?

Where are you going? Where are you going?

Move! Move!

Who's the crazy idiot?

Don't ever bump into me on the streets

What's this?

Let's go to Seoul

Dong-su got expelled and I heard Joong-ho got transferred

I'm the only one who got suspended

Sang-taek

If you come to me after running away from home...

You did the right thing!

Let's become gangsters and ruin our lives together!

You thought I'd say that?

It's not

You know

when I realized my home was really fucked up?

When I was a kid

it was great having lots of uncles around

My mom went to the hospital

and I came back home after running away

The guys I called my uncles

not even one of them punished me

Damn it

If only one of them had knocked some sense into me then maybe I'd have

gotten my act together

From now on, you live your life how you want

and I'll live mine

When I went back home that night

my mom quietly opened the door

Is this Joon-suk's house?

It's been a long time

My friends! Good to see you!

How've you been?

Long time no see, kid!

Look like a gentleman in that suit

How've you been?

Hey, you didn't have to bring all that

Oh, it's nothing

Hey, Jin-sook!

See! Didn't I tell you?

That my friends would always come back to see me

Take this away

Oh yeah, that's my wife

You know her, right?

Since she fucks

so well I took her in

What are you staring at, bitch?

I should rip your pussy apart

Hey, what's with you?

Oh Sorry!

I'm so happy to see both of you again

You don't seem so well

No, I'm okay

I just feel cold and dizzy

when the drugs wear off

What drugs?

Philopon, of course

You're taking philopon?

No, no

I was just kidding

Oh yeah, I heard both of you are in college now

It's just a junior college

Wow that's cool

Now I have two elite college friends

Take care of me later when I'm crippled, okay?

Don't talk like that

Sorry, this is all we can give in return

That's all right It's fine

Hey, bitch!

So you got a gangster for a husband

You getting all wet over

my handsome college friends?

Wanna screw all of us, huh?

Fucking whore!

- Joon-suk! - Don't stop me!

She's full of complaints lately

- Son of a bitch... - Look at her!

Get your ass in here!

You wanna fucking die today?

Joon-suk!

What happened to him?

I have to go

Okay!

I didn't know

that his mother died

He told me not to call you

Bastard

Buy me a drink

Let's see what a date with a college student is like

Want to go back inside with me instead?

No

How was the funeral?

Dong-su's father did a good job for us

How's Dong-su these days?

He's in the can

I've already been there

He needs to experience it to move up in the gang

- Sang-taek! - What?

You're wearing a coat, right?

A coat?

Let's go buy a Christmas card

I wanna send a card to my mom

I feel so sorry for her

After having me

and nursing that crotchety old man

she gets hospitalized for five years and passes away

That old fart

didn't give me any money cause he thought I'd buy drugs

So I had no clothes to wear

freezing to death outside

Sang-taek promise me one thing

- What is it? - Being a gangster is all I know

So if you ever want to get rid of someone

tell me who it is and I'll kill him for you

Also

When I get too old to

make a living as a gangster

can you buy me a taxi?

- A taxi? - Yeah

I don't want to depend on you till I die

By that time

I might have a wife and kids

Stop talking nonsense

No, you're the only real friend I have

The only people I know are gangsters

- Promise me - I don't want to

Please, Promise me!

Okay, I promise

Dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh

o'er the fields we go laughing all the way

I have no regrets

Isn't that your son?

He's only half human

Hurry and eat it

Drink it up!

Are you deaf?

I said drink it!

I supplied you with all the drugs you wanted

but I heard you serve someone else now?

Don't worry It's disinfected

You need to suffer a little

You know how much I looked after you?

You should learn to be grateful

You son of a bitch!

From now on

I'm keeping my eyes

on you and Hyung-doo

Take care of yourself

Hey, boy!

How's your father?

Cheers

People say. .

I stuck a knife into the old boss's back

But that's all just jealous slander

To be honest

I've never once thought of betraying him

All I simply want is

to be number two

So I can keep number one on its toes before he slips

We're obliged to lead our

world in the right direction

That's why

What are gangsters originally set out to do?

Gangsters may operate in the shade

but don't we make places in the sun a little brighter?

Am I right?

You know what loyalty is?

Loyalty is money

You'll need some Take it

He couldn't take

leave from the army

It's all right

Sang-taek doesn't need to come this far

The army's enough to deal with

Get some shut-eye

Dong-su I've become an orphan

You're not a child anymore

In the fifth grade

Mung-gil teased me about my red lips

He said it's because my father

fed me dead men's livers

Even though Mung-gil was much older

you beat him up for me

From then on I followed you

Is that so?

I'm

Starting tomorrow

I'm working for Sang-gon's gang

He's not a gangster He's a scumbag

Don't you know? He sells drugs to kids

I don't care

Dong-su!

- If you work for him... - It's better than an undertaker

Dong-su!

I'm grateful for your father's help!

I'll tell him for you

My two friends, who shared the same colors in life

returned back to their own color

What would become of them a few years later

was something they never expected

My friend! Sang-taek!

You decided right

A man has to see the world to broaden his horizons

Should I go with you

and learn some tips from the mafia?

What's so funny?

Gangs have foreign exchange students, too

Anyway, it seems like you totally broke your drug habit

Don't remind me

Since other guys were starting to move up

I bit the bullet and quit for my own self-esteem

Good for you

People think gangsters live a corrupt life, but we don't

We don't give work to

drug addicts, womanizers or alcoholics

Work is needed to move up

but we don't give any to them

Since they're prone

to screw things up

You sound like some guru

In any organization

you can't move up by doing whatever you please

In the end they'll weed you out

Sounds wonderful Fuck that

Hey, what's a gangster doing

talking like a philosopher?

You're nothing but a hoodlum

You two, come here Come here!

Yes, boss!

Are you crazy?

Why were you glaring at my friend?

Sorry, boss!

Neither of you deserve to eat

Go sit in the trunk hold yourself, and repent

- Get out! - Yes, boss!

Sorry

Friends have nothing to be sorry about

You can let me down now

Stay still!

I've waited. .

a long time for this

Thanks for today Take care

- See you later - Okay

Hey, Joon-suk!

You should let them out now

You scumbags wanna get out?

- No, boss! - They're okay

Let's go!

Good evening, chairman!

Now, let's begin the lottery

for the construction of Horim apartments

Going in order

let's start with Mr Cha of Jungwoo Construction

Number forty-seven!

The film is inside

I fed you sons of bitches

How dare you be so damn ungrateful?

Fucking morons

Hey, you little bastard!

You trying to make a liar of me?

I just called him and

I'm very sorry, boss Please forgive me

All of you go outside

Yes, boss!

Listen carefully you son of a bitch

The other bosses spilt

blood to start this company

- What the hell did you say? - Shut up and let me finish

The money coming out of this operation

is for the bosses in jail

and to feed our men

I think you've hoarded enough

I've gotten permission to stab you

But I won't, out of respect for a boss

Look here, friend

The government is going

after the big bosses now

Watch over the guys

and don't contact the boss for a while

Those assholes must think we're some garbage

How's it going Joon-suk?

How's the demand for shark fins?

People are so desperate, even the yakuza seems like an option

Let's wait just a bit longer to sell them

Shouldn't we do

something about Sang-gon?

What if we don't?

He's not who he used to be

We can't touch him

Then how about his right hand man?

He helped with my parents' funeral

Don't even think about it

It's good

What you say asshole?

Bastard!

This kid said I'm an asshole!

Is this some gangster's fashion show?

How've you been?

Good and you?

Heard you're working in construction

Not that different from deep-sea fishery

Come to Mokma Bar tomorrow night

If you tell me to come then do I have to do it?

Sang-taek and Joong-ho will be there

You should come

Sang-taek?

Oh yeah what's he up to?

I'll see if I have time

Okay

Thanks, thanks

Good job! Let's drink!

How long will you be there?

Three years at least

but if all goes well I'll stay longer to get a PhD

Hey! Listen to this guy!

So we can't see you if things go well?

Is that what I said? I'm sorry

Since you're a big shot we don't matter now, huh?

Hey, babe!

Put on my favorite song

Really? I love when you sing that song

To my dear friend Joong-ho best wishes on your marriage

And to my friend Sang-taek

I wish you a prosperous future

I dedicate this song to you both

So you want me to clean corpses for the rest of my life?

Have I ever asked you to succeed me?

Who are you to criticize my

Okay! Okay!

So I have to watch people mourn till I die?

Think you're proud to give me your bloody money?

How's Dong-su doing these days?

It's been bad between them

Dong-su has supposedly gotten big in his gang

- Really? - Did you see the newspaper

President Roh's waging war on gangs

so things are real tense lately

Since Sang-gon is loaded now

he's linked to powerful people

So I heard Dong-su' really busy

Hello, this is Busan Police

Yeah I'm a Busan citizen

I have something to tell you

- What's going on? - Arrest him!

Get moving!

Let's go

Sir, the job at the sauna is done

Big boss wants to see you

- Eun-gi! - Yes, boss!

- Do you know who Cho Oh-ryun is? - The swimmer?

Yeah, The swimmer

If Cho Oh-ryun and a sea turtle

both swam in a race

who would win?

He's probably shitting his pants

That bastard sold out our boss

All you need to do is stab him while he's sleeping

- You got it? - Yes, sir

Do the job late tonight

What did you say to Joon-suk?

I told him we went to a wedding

Good

Who ordered this?

Was it Joon-suk?

Fuck you

So why are you doing this anyway?

I think it's my destiny

Destiny?

I dream of becoming a boss like Joon-suk

Hey boy

Trying to be a boss

and living ambitiously are not the same

You're still young so think it over

Got it?

Anyway, where's Joon-suk?

He's training the interns

Training interns?

- Who brought this? - I did, sir!

You can't kill someone with this kind of knife

It doesn't need to be big

If the blade is at least six inches

then it can kill a man But the blade can't be too thin

or it's likely to break because of the bone

Therefore

a sashimi or Swedish knife is often used

- Got it? - Yes, sir!

After you stab him

turn the knife by 90 degrees

Whoever it is

the moment the knife goes in

he's sure to collapse on the spot

If you penetrate the lung then he can't scream

And if air gets into the lung then he's dead for sure

Always be sure to

make him feel the knife

Where's Joon-suk? Instead of the front chest

pros will aim for the back of the lung

Sang-taek

I planned on seeing you and Joong-ho at the airport

Sorry I couldn't make it

Sang-taek!

In high school when you ran away

and then I sent you back home

I bet you didn't know how proud I was of you

Honestly, I wished I was you back then

Isn't it funny?

I was home all day today after

a bad experience with Dong-su

thinking about what the word 'friend' means

I didn't know what friend originally meant

until our teacher wrote the definition on the board

I remember he wrote 'a long and close companion'

Doesn't it sound great?

My father always told me

that loyalty is a man's life

But I'm confused about that now

In fact, I'm not sure what loyalty is anymore

Sang-taek!

I'm planning to travel for a while, like you

I'll send this letter to Joong-ho's address

Take care of yourself until you get back

Your friend, Joon-suk

Why didn't you come? You would've liked seeing the guys

I'll just see them later

Sang-taek's leaving for America today

- Want to see him off with me? - See him off?

You have time for that?

I'm sorry I couldn't go to Doruko's funeral

I've been really busy

You've gotten big, Dong-su

Wasn't I always taller than you?

even as your sidekick

- I'll be brief - Take your time if you want

Dong-su!

Remember what you told me when my father died?

What?

What did I tell you?

I've never resented you, even

after the way things turned out

If you were me you wouldn't either

Don't we just do as we're told?

What?

Did someone tell you to kill me?

Today's my father's memorial

I came to ask you a last favor as a friend

Go ahead

Leave here for Hawaii

Can you stay there for a while?

In time, everything will return to normal

I'll set it up for you

You leave for Hawaii

Okay, I'll leave See you in a few years

Today's his father's memorial

I've never resented you

Don't we just do as we're told?

- Where's my car? - Where are you going, boss?

How far is the airport?

The airport?

You've done your job. . . Go now. . .

When I came back, news

about Dong-su's murder

was no longer news to anyone

Oh, hi! Joong-ho!

Sang-taek is here!

It happened the day you left

I didn't expect Joon-suk to make a move so soon

He disappeared for about two years

Maybe in the temples or something

Then I heard he ended up with Jin-sook

His gang tried sending him

to Hawaii until the case was dropped

But it wasn't that easy

Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer

He got tired of hiding so he grew a lot weaker

Eventually, he got himself into trouble

What took you so long?

Room ten!

- Son of a bitch. . - He's out of his mind!

What do you want, assholes?

I think of you like a son, too

I don't know what to say

That boy Joong-ho is trying his best to help

In court, say you knew nothing and never ordered it

Pull yourself together I took care of the bribes

In spite of what the police said

I don't believe you had any part

This is your defense in court Follow what it says exactly

I knew Dong-su would end up like this

- Bastard. . - Pull yourself together, asshole!

Dong-su's my friend, too

Don't you know that I'm doing this to save you?

When I looked at him I saw over thirty spots

He was stabbed over thirty times

Case number 93-25168

A violation of a ban on organized crime

and suspicion of first and second degree murder

The defendant Lee Joon-suk Please rise

Tell us your ID number and permanent and current addresses

640227- 1105914

Permanent address is 189 Wooamdong, South Busan

Current address is 1109 Daerim Villa, Chunghakdong, Busan

The prosecution may begin

Do you know Park Eun-gi and Song Gi-ho

who in 1990 were taken into custody for murder?

Yes I know them

Then did you know Han Dong-su

who was murdered in front of

Kukje Nightclub in Oct 1990?

Yes He's my friend

So did you order Eun-gi Park and Gi-ho Song

to kill Han Dong-su?

Yes, I ordered them

How've you been, friend?

- Good, and you? - I'm fine

- How are things? - I'm well

Sang-taek! Sang-taek don't

I'm sorry to put you

through this as a friend

No

No, there's no need for that

Friends have nothing to be sorry about

Sang-taek, we only have ten minutes

- Let's talk quickly - Yeah, okay

- Are you healthy? - Sure!

Look! I'm healthy!

How's your father doing?

Both your parents are fine, right?

Yeah

My father even gave me some money to come see you

My sister got married last month

That's too bad

Your mom promised her to me

but I guess I missed my chance

Anyway, congratulations!

How about you? You have a girlfriend?

- Not yet - What's wrong with you?

Want me to introduce you to one?

You? How can you?

Joon-suk! Why did you do it?

Time's up!

Did you feel sorry for Dong-su?

Is that why?

Tell me!

Why did you say that in court?

- Humiliation! - What?

Dong-su and I are gangsters

and gangsters shouldn't be humiliated

Hey! I'll be back!

I'll be back next month!

Joon-suk! I'll be back! Take care of yourself!

Sang-taek!

If Cho Oh-ryun and

a sea turtle swam in a race

who would win?

- Cho Oh-ryun - See?

No way!

A turtle is much faster under water

The turtle will win

Not underwater but on top of it

Hey, you said underwater before

Me? When?

Man, you're such a liar

Hey, we're in trouble!

We're too far out Let's go back

Yeah, the tide might rise soon

Let's go

From what I remember

Joon-suk seemed to be on Dong-su's side then