Original subtitles

SISYPHUS: THE MYTH

ALL NAMES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INCIDENTS IN THIS DRAMA ARE FICTIONAL

Tae-sul! Come play with me!

Tae-sul! Come play with me!

Han Tae-sul!

Tae-sul! Come play with me!

What's going on?

The Control Bureau is here.

So they're openly working together now?

Seo Won-ju?

You remember me now?

I'm disappointed. I've never once forgotten you.

I'm sorry. You weren't exactly memorable back in school.

I thought you'd remember me, even just vaguely.

We were quite close.

I'm not sure about that. I don't recall us being close.

As I recall, you just followed me around.

It's all in the past, so don't be so hurt by it.

Anyway, I think we have a lot of catching up to do.

So you should've come alone, you prick.

Fire a warning shot.

Snipers! Keep your head down.

-Should we move in, sir? -No, I'll go in alone.

Yes, sir. The snipers will cover you.

What's the plan again?

You go in and talk to them. When they're cornered,

we'll take care of them.

Okay.

So where are you?

Where are you now?

He hung up.

HONESTY, DILIGENCE, SERVICE

SISYPHUS

Tae-sul.

Where are you hiding?

Are you here?

Here I come.

I'm coming to get you!

When I catch you, you're so dead!

I sound scary.

Hide well.

Hey, we won't get caught today, right?

-No idea. -What?

If we get rid of Seo Won-ju fast, we'll win.

But what if someone's there waiting for us to catch us?

That's possible.

-Let's get out of here first. -Okay.

That bastard!

Targets spotted in Class 1-3.

Class 1-3!

How come you remember him only now? You've met him.

How was I supposed to remember something from years ago?

Right, you lack social skills.

-Damn it. -Han Tae-sul.

Watch out!

ARCHIVE ROOM

Oh, boy.

Tae-sul!

You really haven't changed one bit.

When you consider someone a loser or an idiot,

you wipe the person from your memory not to waste your brain capacity.

To you, everyone else is like an extra.

Passerby One, Two, Three.

Student One, Two, Three.

But you know what?

There might be someone that matters among them.

Someone you're meant to be with…

or an evil bastard who will end the world.

That's why

you should never mistreat anyone.

That's my point.

Sir, what would you like us to do?

We just stick to the plan.

-This is insane. -Why did we come in here?

This was the only place we could hide. It was all blocked.

-You went to this school! -Yes, I did.

I transferred schools a lot, so I got confused.

Darn it. I don't think we can pull this off today.

Calm down, Seo-hae.

If we wait, we'll get caught.

-Are you ready? -No.

Yes.

They can't kill you, so they won't shoot right away.

I'll go out first.

You'll go out first, then what?

What's wrong?

It's just odd.

What is?

Why aren't they coming in?

They can just barge in, but they're waiting.

Why?

Good point.

Could it be…

Maybe last time…

We came out.

That's why they're waiting.

Because future events shouldn't change.

Seo-hae.

I always wanted to do this at a moment like this.

-Hey, it's not the time to-- -Shush.

Just a moment.

Stay still for a moment.

Year 2020…

October 28.

Current time is…

-It's 15:50. -What are you doing?

Current time, 15:50.

Well, there was a man named Stephen Hawking.

He's best known for his discovery called "Hawking radiation."

You see, black holes…

Never mind.

Anyway, he secretly organized a party

under the premise that time travel was possible.

Then he wrote an invitation and spread it all over the country.

And he threw a party at that exact time.

He thought that if there really was a time machine,

people would see the invitation in the future and come to the party.

You mean, someone in the future might see this and come to your rescue?

Yes.

Why aren't they coming out?

Excuse me.

HAN TAE-SUL

GANG SEO-HAE

HELP US

"On October 28, 2020, at 15:50.

Han Tae-sul and Gang Seo-hae, trapped here and in danger.

Help us."

It's done.

And? Did anyone come?

What?

-What was that? -Hey, what's going on?

We're trying to find out…

Gosh, what is happening?

Hush.

Our snipers are all… We're getting sniped!

It's dangerous. We should leave.

I guess it worked.

-What? -Someone came to help us.

It changed. I wonder who came.

Sir.

Mr. Han!

Who's this?

Come to the east exit. I'll wait for you in the car.

What? That's my car.

Get in.

Bong-seon?

-Yeo Bong-seon. -Sir.

Gosh, you…

Hey, what happened?

Bong-seon!

Bong-seon, are you all right?

I'm fine.

Does this use electricity?

No, kerosene. It's smuggled into the country.

Why are you helping us?

Because of the war. How will you stop it from happening?

Why did you try to save Han Tae-sul at PEXCO?

-Me? -You told him to get down

just before the shot was fired.

I got shot and fell into a vegetative state.

I've been pretty pissed about it ever since.

So tell me the truth or go home.

Come on, tell me.

I found a letter.

It said I should go to Busan and that Tae-sul would be sniped.

It also said the past and the future keep on repeating

and that I must stop the war this time.

Who sent the letter?

Someone you can trust?

Who sent the letter?

Me. I found it in my grave.

-Where? -At Mapo Hospital.

North of the Hangang Bridge, near the army camp.

Are we good now?

Then why did the war break out again?

I'll stop it this time.

"This time"?

I don't know what's going on in the countryside.

Metropolitan areas are under Sigma's control.

The thugs that were after you also work for Sigma.

They won't let you get on the uploader.

Then what do we do?

Follow Subway Line 5 all the way to Achasan Station.

There's an uploader bunker underground.

I'll show you the underground passage to the uploader.

But why?

Because this girl saved my boss.

-You're not coming with us? -No.

-Why not? -Because I'm dead there.

I couldn't protect Mr. Han. Going back would be pointless.

But still.

Some jerks will tail you.

I'll stall them, so hurry.

Everyone came down here when the war broke out.

In emergencies,

subway stations were used as air raid shelters.

"Emergencies"? What does that mean?

Like when a disaster hits unexpectedly.

What's an air raid shelter?

Oh, it's like our bunker.

I see.

Most of them would have died.

They had nothing to eat or drink.

What about you?

I had some earlier.

No.

The radiation level is too high downtown.

Want to hear a story?

It was a long time ago, before you were born.

When your mom wanted to have a kid,

I was against it.

Seriously?

Even just taking care of myself felt like a struggle.

So having children and raising them…

I didn't think I could do it.

But my whole world changed the moment you were born.

No matter how stressed I am,

the moment I hear you call me Dad,

all my stress melts away.

You taught me the true meaning of happiness.

Thanks to you, I can smile every day.

You've given me such joy, but I haven't been able to do the same for you.

I've always felt so bad about it.

Cops get paid peanuts, you know.

What does that mean?

It means the pay is low.

I see.

When I couldn't do the things other parents do for their kids,

I felt heartbroken.

"What if she does poorly in school, just like me?

What if she can't get a job and feels dejected?

What if she shows up with some weirdo one day and says he's her boyfriend?"

Come on.

I was always worried.

But I guess I was much happier back then despite all the worries.

It's all my fault.

Why is it your fault?

Seo-hae, promise me one thing.

What?

Even if you get there safely, do not meet Han Tae-sul, ever.

Let's go.

ACHASAN

He said it's underground.

If we get surrounded there, we're finished.

It's over there.

We should spread out.

Dad!

Dad, are you all right?

I'm fine. Just go!

I'll meet you there!

If it weren't for the war,

we wouldn't be in this mess.

Go.

I said, go!

Let's go.

-Are we at the right place? -Not sure.

There's water here.

Dad, what is this place?

A swimming pool.

Let's get out that door.

-There's no water to drink out there. -Don't let it get to you.

So I said, "Han Tae-sul!

Is it the girl or the world?"

Then that idiot broke into tears.

Seo-hae. Gang Seo-hae!

Hands up! Put your hands up!

Drop your guns!

-Drop your guns! -Drop your guns.

Look who's here.

I used to hate crowds and traffic jams.

There are no cars in the future.

Hey, are you all right?

Don't mind me.

I won't last long. I wasn't feeling well when I was crossing over.

When I woke up,

I learned the country no longer exists because of the war.

It happened so suddenly.

At first, I resented you a lot.

I'm sorry.

Later on, I found out

that you fought against Sigma

and kept me on life support.

So I retraced your steps.

From your home and office

to your elementary school.

That's where I found it.

Your message.

Sir.

Yes.

Don't fight.

You can't beat Sigma.

I saw graves. Yours and that girl's.

I know.

Run away.

This time, I won't die.

You know, there's no problem that I can't solve.

Sigma knows everything.

What will happen, even when and where it'll take place.

Gosh.

Bong-seon.

Do you really want to beat Sigma?

Of course.

Even if you'll die?

What's this?

Use it as a last resort.

Open it when you have no other option.

How beautiful.

I wanted to see this again.

Mr. Han.

I'll be off, then.

Bong-seon.

Bong-seon! Hey!

Bong-seon.

Bong-seon!

Darn it.

Jae-sun, Mom wants you to bring a lot of gochujang and doenjang.

They're at Korean supermarkets.

But they're expensive here.

All right.

-Did you buy the eyebrow razor yet? -Oh, right. Not yet.

Hey! I told you to bring it.

I can't find it here.

What do girls here use to shape their eyebrows?

And get me every cushion compact and lip tint that you see.

Okay.

You're coming, right?

Yes, of course.

When are you coming?

-Are you staying there because of her? -No, I have to do something.

Jae-sun, can I give you a word of advice?

No, don't.

Since I'm a girl too, I can tell she has no feelings for you.

I never asked.

She's not interested in you at all. You know, right?

You keep hitting on her, so she gets awkward and feels bad for you.

That's why she can't flat out turn you down.

You're making her uncomfortable.

Gosh, you little brat. Can you stop being so blunt?

So stop bending over backward for her. Just come to the US, you idiot.

Something might happen there.

What? How do you know?

The Embassy warned all the American citizens to return

because there may be a war.

Mom's here. If she sees your face, she'll make a huge fuss again.

Book a flight right away and send me a screenshot.

If you don't, you're so dead.

CALL ENDED

-What happened? Reinstall the program. -Can you check this?

-Check for a short circuit. -Yes, sir.

It worked last time.

They're making a huge fuss about this!

Mr. Han got rid of all the relevant data.

But you guys made this with him, so you can do it again!

There are 70 of you!

Tae-sul did this all by himself.

He designed it all on his own!

When he was only 15, with a pencil!

What? What's your problem?

Why don't you do it yourself if you need it so urgently?

Stop yelling. Just do it yourself.

Tae-sul.

Oh, maybe you can't.

Hey, why are you here?

Sir.

It's been a while.

I came to see you one last time.

QUANTUM & TIME FAILS HIGH MOLECULAR TRANSPORT EXPERIMENT

Did you drink?

I first met Tae-sul when I was preparing for my postdoc.

I overheard the professors' conversation in the lab.

They talked about a student who got in through early admission

and whose dissertation was approved as soon as he got in.

You see,

it took me eight years.

Do you know what is the best decision I've ever made?

Working with Tae-sul when everyone else hated him and was jealous of him.

Believing him when no one else took him

seriously.

What are you trying to say?

I'm not trying to say anything. I'm just…

a little exhausted.

Come to think of it,

you and Tae-sul almost got married.

I don't think I can handle anything anymore.

I don't want to do anything.

Do you want to beat Tae-sul?

Last time, you asked me what was really happening.

If you want to know, come with me.

But remember.

Once you decide to come with me,

there's no going back.

OCTOBER 28, 2020 AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SNIPERS…

Mr. Han.

I'll be off, then.

Bong-seon! Hey!

GANG DONG-GI

Hello?

I looked up that man, Seo Won-ju.

He's not even in the system anymore.

I see.

So I asked our information division to look further into it.

He'd applied for registration of an artist name for copyright registration.

What's that name?

It's Seo Gil-bok.

GANG DONG-GI

Seo Gil-bok?

SEOUL GANGBUK POLICE STATION

MOST TRUSTED POLICE FOR SAFEST GANGBUK

Jeez, he's here again. He practically lives here.

The victim said you shouldn't expect any leniency.

STATEMENT SEO GIL-BOK

So you're a painter. That's why you're so expressive.

Your comments are so catchy.

Hey, think about how stressed out the victim must be.

You posted malicious comments for seven years!

It's more than 5,000 sheets of A4 paper, you jerk!

Think about celebrities' suicides.

Posting malicious comments is like murder!

I'm sorry.

"I didn't like the way Han Tae-sul looked at me."

Oh, do you know him personally?

-Yes. -Hey.

Even I know who Han Tae-sul is.

Everyone in the country does.

Do you have any mental issues?

Go get a medical certificate.

It could be a mitigating factor.

I'm sorry.

You've been posting hate comments about him since 2013.

I see you were released with a warning in 2016.

This time, Han Tae-sul said no leniency whatsoever.

So this case will go to trial. You might get a jail sentence.

If you don't want that, submit a letter of apology.

I apologize.

I've been continuously posting malicious comments

about Quantum & Time CEO, Mr. Han Tae-sul, since 2013.

I didn't stop even after being caught and released with a warning in 2016.

I did it because of my personal grudge and misunderstanding.

I apologize for damaging

Mr. Han's reputation and hurting his feelings.

Mom!

I regret my actions.

I was jealous of Mr. Han Tae-sul for becoming so successful,

wealthy, and popular at such a young age.

That's why I posted such malicious comments about him.

I regret my petty, childish actions.

I sincerely apologize.

Unlike Mr. Han Tae-sul, I did poorly in school.

I apologize for my incompetence.

I apologize to the judge

as well as to my mother.

I should have known how to fix a falling airplane

and how to make a lot of money like Han Tae-sul does.

I'm sorry for not being able to do so.

I'm truly sorry.

I'm sorry that

I'm not as capable as Tae-sul is.

Those eyes…

Don't look at me like that.

I'm sorry for being born in this world.

I'm sorry things didn't go as planned.

I'll make sure everything goes without a hitch from now on.

It's okay. We were going to lose them soon anyway.

I'll always win in the end, regardless of how the process changes.

Wait, is the package supposed to arrive today?

My gosh, I've always wanted to do it. It'll be fun!

What's the date today?

-It's October 29. -Right.

You see,

I thought this misery would end if I died.

So I looked up ways to do it. Hanging yourself is the cheapest.

Funny, right?

Rich folks can buy guns or drugs and die gracefully.

But poor people have to think about the cost to die.

Although I had decided to take my own life,

I was still scared.

HARDWARE STORE

CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES

So I was going to

just give up if I came across

even just one person

who told me not to die.

In hindsight,

if anyone tried to talk me out of it back then…

Your total is 17,500 won.

Then maybe the world wouldn't have fallen to pieces.

How's it going?

It's strange.

What is? Everything's working fine.

The downloader is open, but no one has come in the past 48 hours.

The uploader must be closed.

Oh, I see one coming. What are the coordinates?

It's here.

-Our store. -What?

What's going on?

No idea.

What?

-This is it? -I guess so.

-Wait. Let's not open it. -Go away.

Everything from the future is mine, you punk.

Gosh!

What is this?

Damn…

Don't look at me like that.

I'm sorry.

I really am.

I'm truly sorry.

Damn it…

Hello?

Didn't you get my message?

I was preoccupied with something.

Your painting's been just sold.

What?

What painting?

Remember your self-portrait? That one.

Didn't you say the exhibition was over?

Yes, but someone contacted us

wanting to purchase it.

Hello?

Hello?

Hello?

Gil-bok?

This person is famous. I'm sure you know him.

Who is it?

You know Quantum & Time CEO, right? Mr. Han Tae-sul.

Hello? Are you there?

Han Tae-sul.

Seo Won-ju, hands up and on your knees.

What?

Hands up and on your knees!

What the hell?

I'm sorry, Tae-sul!

I was out of my mind when I posted those mean comments.

-What's he talking about? -No idea.

Hey, Tae-sul. I heard you bought my painting.

I bought it to find you.

Let's finish this quickly.

Wait!

We have no hard feelings towards you now,

but we must do this because of the things that you'll do in the future.

Tae-sul, this is a prank, right?

You know, I even wrote a letter of apology.

I'll never do it again. I'm really sorry.

What's wrong?

-I just saw something weird. -What did you see?

Something's wrong.

Give me that. I'll do it.

-Tae-sul, please… -Shut it.

JAAE HOSPITAL INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

This is Jaae Hospital. You wanted to bring me here?

-There's a gathering. -What gathering?

Simply put, it's like

a gathering of people who have control over Korea.

Something like that.

-At this hospital? -Yes.

I clearly warned you

that there's no going back.

Follow me.

What are you doing? Come on.

My point exactly!

Prime Minister Kim! Stop worrying about what others think.

It shows.

Yes, sir.

We'll just argue a little and reconcile at the end.

They already know the plan.

Jeez. I should have become an assemblyman

and made you the Prime Minister instead.

Goodness. You insisted on taking it up yourself

because it's the highest position!

I didn't know I'd have no real power to do anything.

Wait, isn't that the Prime Minister?

Yes.

The Minister of Economy and Finance. The Minister of Land.

I thought Assemblyman Kim and Assemblyman Hong were on bad terms.

Jeez.

Oh, come on.

-Let's see it. -Come on!

-Hey, come on. -I need a break.

PACIFIC SAURY

We must make sure no one's looking at the sky

when the missile hits.

They have to be busy fighting that they won't even know what killed them.

Like fireworks.

You see them going off, but no one knows where they're coming from.

Boom.

I'll make sure everyone here can watch it in the best seats.

You missed it last time because you were all in jail.

So you have to see it this time.

What missile?

Does this mean everything Tae-sul said was true?

Who's that guy?

Sigma.

Dr. Kim, I was waiting for you.

I'm sorry I'm late.

-Is everyone here? -Mr. Park isn't here yet.

He's been expelled.

Dr. Kim, I see that you brought a friend.

-What's his name? -He's Eddy Kim.

Right, Eddy Kim.

Eddy, you're the one making the uploader.

I'm honored to meet you.

Welcome him with a big hand.

140 JUNGGYESAN, SEOUL GANG SEO-HAE

Do we have to take this to her?

Can't we tell her to come pick it up?

I need to see what's happening!

The temperature is lower today.

You clueless brat.

With his visit to the US fast approaching,

the President held a cabinet meeting and asked every minister

-to make sure all government affairs… -Jeez, shut up.

Same thing over and over.

Hey, Bingbing. Want to hear an interesting story?

People say that every public official is a thief.

The Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister,

all the ministers, and assemblymen.

Actually, it's true.

They're all from the future. The advance team.

We were in jail, so we managed to stay healthy.

Those bastards were all behind bars.

They're all despicable thieves, I'm telling you.

Gosh.

What?

It's just that you said they're thieves.

That's right, those thieves.

Everyone.

There's something you need to see. Put it on.

-That's Tae-sul. -Stay seated.

I told you. There's no going back.

That's me.

I really thought I was going to die at that moment.

Oh, boy.

Tae-sul, why are you doing this to me? Please stop.

Be quiet.

Are you all right?

That's enough, Mr. Han. All right?

Well, how have you been?

That time, I was just too flustered.

I think you blabbered on about how you found me,

but I can't remember.

Why are you all quiet?

Just because. It's nice to hear your voice.

Can I ask you how you found me?

Your painting.

I'm the one who bought the only painting of yours that sold.

I see!

They gave me your address as soon as I said I wanted to donate some money.

Oh, I see.

But don't get the wrong idea.

I didn't buy it because I liked it. And the reviews were bad.

Tae-sul, who are you talking to?

Be quiet.

I showed your painting to various art critics

to see how good you are as an artist.

I have their feedback on my phone now. Want to hear it?

You're probably curious.

I'll read them out to you one by one.

"Frankly, it isn't a well-executed painting.

The quality of the canvas and the oil paint is top-notch,

but the brushstrokes look pretty clumsy.

Using high-quality supplies is important, but this artist needs more practice."

You need more practice.

Are you talking about me?

"The colors are too simple. The painter doesn't know how to use light.

He's not a professional artist.

He's probably just someone with an art degree."

Stop. That's enough.

"The concept isn't bad.

He depicted his imagination in detail."

But it's not your imagination. You painted what you saw.

So this one doesn't count.

There's more. "It's kitschy."

Well, that means it's not good.

"I'm not trying to belittle the work, but it looks like something

you'd see at a barbershop." He's clearly belittling it.

"I think he worked hard on it."

It's the only compliment.

I said, stop.

What's going to happen if I shoot you now?

Will the future you disappear?

You can't shoot me. That's why I'm here, alive and well.

Oh, really?

Then let's see what happens.

I heard you met your brother.

Let me put it simply.

If he's hiding somewhere in his past,

his body must be somewhere in the present.

I'm sure my boys are taking good care of him.

If you spare me now,

you can go back to the past and bring him,

like you did with that girl.

What's wrong?

Right, there's another reason you shouldn't kill me today.

If you shoot me now,

the girl will disappear as well.

Can you really do it?

I mean, are you sure you're ready?

To part with her and never see her again?

You still have lots of time left. You need to say a proper goodbye.

As for me, you can kill me next time you see me.

Tae-sul.

Tae-sul, don't listen to him.

This is our only chance.

If you shoot me now, you'll be left with nothing.

Everything and everyone you love will vanish.

So today…

Just protect me, all right?

Hey, what's going on?

Seo-hae, let's just leave.

What?

Let's just leave.

My gosh!

What are you doing here?

My, look at that.

That jerk, Sigma, looked so sly even when he was young.

What are you doing here?

Me? Oh, to deliver this package.

Bingbing, hand it over.

We downloaded it an hour ago.

It came to our store.

Well, I was going to just ignore it.

But I figured

it would be important to you, so…

What is it?

What happened?

Seo-hae, no.

Move.

-Seo-hae. -I said, move.

-Calm down. -Move, now.

Calm down, please.

What did you do to my dad?

-What? -What did you do to my dad?

Seo-hae, put the gun down. Put it down!

What did that bastard say?

Why are you acting like this?

Let's just go. There's another chance.

No. There isn't another chance.

Hey, you two! You're all playing into Sigma's hands.

Damn it.

Hey, drop your gun.

-What are you doing? -Drop it!

If that prick dies, I'll never see my family again.

Shut up.

Stop!

You stop!

Do you really think he will spare your brother?

He killed my dad.

See? What did I tell you?

In just a few days,

a war will break out and kill 50 million people,

yet everyone only cares about their own families.

This is why there can never be a fair society in this country.

-Right? -Yes, totally.

You're absolutely right, sir.

Seo-hae, listen to me.

Please.

Not today.

Please,

Seo-hae.

Please.

Was it today?

Please, Seo-hae.

Subtitle translation by: Liya Choi

Seo-hae, where are you right now?

I didn't do anything.

She left of her own accord.

I remember now.

Let go of me, will you?

Seo-hae's going to die because of Han Tae-sul.

You'll die if you go alone.

Everything that happens from now on will be as I planned.

Why don't you try fighting that? You bastard.

-Don't go. Please. -I'm sorry, Seo-hae.

Ripped and synced by TTEOKBOKKIsubs