Original subtitles

MY LIBERATION NOTES

MY LIBERATION NOTES

ALL LOCATIONS, CHARACTERS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INCIDENTS

DEPICTED IN THIS DRAMA ARE ENTIRELY FICTITIOUS

What's your name?

It's Gu Ja-gyeong.

How did you get my phone number?

I went to your house.

When?

A few days ago.

Why all of a sudden?

Just because.

You must have heard my mom passed away.

Yes.

And that my dad got remarried.

What is it?

It's just strange.

So this day came, after all.

"When might we meet again, and how? Will we ever meet again?"

"I'd be so happy if he called me right now."

When I was sincerely wishing for it, I never heard from you,

and when I least expected it, you…

What were you doing?

Preparing for war.

I was ready to bring out my evil side today.

Against who?

Where are we going, by the way?

Good point. Well, it's cold, right?

Shall we go inside somewhere? A cafe?

Are you cold?

No. What about you?

I'm alright, too. Let's just walk.

It'll be awkward sitting face to face with a cup of coffee.

Now that I think of it,

I've never had a cup of coffee with you at a cafe.

Of course not. How could we while we were there?

We just drank cold water after picking cabbages and radish.

Just as I thought,

we suit the fields better.

It's comfortable.

Trees, wind, and rocks don't irritate us.

I get irritable when I'm in places with a lot of people.

Even someone sitting alone at a table next to mine in a café irritates me.

Even though they're not doing anything.

Maybe we just hate people.

I thought I was the only one.

If someone comes your way when you're walking like this,

don't they irritate you?

Do you think he was irritated by us too?

When it's one against many, it's always the one that gets irritated.

The many don't really care.

But the one is always on their guard. Since they're alone.

I get weird when I'm with you.

I keep saying things I never thought of.

Are we a two? Or just one against one?

Are you drawing a line between us?

Why didn't you call me sooner?

GWANGCHANG MARKET

They fit you well.

No, I'll pay.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

Put it in my bag.

There…

Is it good?

Excuse me, would you mind moving this so we can sit here?

Sure…

The gimbap is really good here.

SAM-SIK

SAM-SIK

Why are you calling me on a Sunday?

Today's Saturday.

Today's Saturday.

I got it. I'll call you back.

What is it?

Just go. You can come back, can't you?

I'll come back.

I'll be back soon. I'll come back. Go and wait somewhere.

Take your time.

I'll be back soon.

-Let's get out. -Sir?

-Let's run. -Yes, sir.

What?

-Stop. -You son of a bitch!

Let me go, you…

Let go of me, damn it. How dare you? You got me fired.

I'll report all of you, you bastards. Let go of me!

Let go of me, you bastards!

She's been here drinking since the early evening, yelling that she got fired.

I knew she was going to cause trouble.

Let go of me!

Hey!

Let me go! I'll report you all!

Let go of me! I said, let go!

I'm reporting you, you son of a bitch! Let go of me!

Let me go!

Let me go! Let me go, you bastards!

Let go!

Wait…

Let go of me, you scumbags!

-For God's sake! -Let go of me! You bastards!

You changed your number and ghosted us to get out of paying us back.

But you're upset we came to your workplace?

Was I supposed to go to you and gently ask, "Please pay me," then?

Why? Tell me.

Why do I have to be respectful of you when you weren't from the beginning?

Why?

Why?

Hey, Ja-gyeong.

Ja-gyeong.

Mr. Gu, there weren't that many customers yesterday, for real.

This is all! I swear.

Check the CCTV footage if you want, you bastard!

Hey, Ja-gyeong. Wait!

Why?

To play cards all night again?

I didn't mean to do it,

but the gambling debt I racked up before…

They'll kill me if I don't pay it back by today.

You must be losing your touch.

You've been cut.

It was a bottle, sir.

You must be drinking every day. Except for maybe a few hours a week?

YEOM MI-JEONG: TAKE YOUR TIME

Where to, sir?

Take your time.

JUNGJEONG

It's painted on.

You've come back as a different person

in just an hour and a half.

Hey.

That's life.

Just when you think it's going well…

I've never even had one whole perfect day.

Five minutes a day.

If you have five minutes of peace, it's bearable.

When I hold the door open for a kid at a convenience store

and the kid says, "Thank you," that makes me happy for seven seconds.

When I open my eyes in the morning and remember it's Saturday,

that makes me happy for ten seconds.

Fill up five minutes a day like that.

That's how I survive.

Well…

do you still

live the hard way,

trudging on step by step?

Let's go together.

Step by step,

trudging on.

Excuse me.

Yes, sir.

A while ago,

people had to abandon their cars and walk

because of the heavy snow.

I remember.

I also had to leave my car on Yeongdong Bridge and walk.

And I suddenly thought,

"If the earth just stopped for a while like this,

I would just keep walking until I reached Sanpo."

"If I take the shortest route, it should be about 28km."

"I'd be there by dawn."

I was heading there in my head, figuring out where to make turns.

It was funny

that I was thinking about walking there if the Earth stopped,

when I could just drive there.

Do you remember

the guy who borrowed my money and left the country to go back to his ex?

You never told me he went to his ex.

It was that jerk's wedding today.

He still owes me six million won.

But he still managed to pay for all the preparations required

and had a buffet.

So I said if he had that much money, he should pay me back.

Then he ranted at me for half an hour.

While I was listening to him,

I broke the cup I was holding.

He must have thought I was the same Yeom Mi-jeong he remembered.

I decided to go to his wedding

and stand behind the bride and groom with a really scary expression

when they take a photo.

And to take the congratulatory money on my way out.

I went there determined to do that.

Like you said, it was one against many.

I've decided to be the one to ruin everything

while the others are there to congratulate them.

"Let's do this."

"It's me against everyone else."

When the photographer asked the friends to come up for a picture,

I stood up…

and that's when you called me.

Hello?

Hello?

It's been a while.

It's Gu.

"This man…"

"He'd never let me hit rock bottom."

"He's stopping me."

Hello?

He's not getting up.

Yes, can you come to the station?

JONGNO-GU ALLEYWAY JOURNEY MEET THE LANDSCAPE OF HANYANG

10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EXHIBITION JOSEON'S LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS

Hold on.

Don't bother.

There are too many.

This place is freezing!

It's broken.

Does the hot water work?

Only warm water.

I can't believe you're living like a refugee

in such a nice apartment.

An alcoholic

just needs a clean glass.

Why don't you hire help? Aren't you rich?

I can't be bothered.

Telling them the passcode

and sending them money every month.

My nose is cold.

Was I an asshole, too?

Not anymore.

You called in the end.

But I was an asshole till yesterday?

Welcome.

-Thank you. -Have a nice day.

Aren't you going to church?

I'm not.

What's gotten into you, staying out?

Are you seeing someone?

Aren't you going to church?

I'm not!

So I'll go there tomorrow with my girlfriend.

Based on the way things were going at that store,

she didn't think she'd get paid after a month.

So she quit after five days. She needs to get paid for those five days.

But they keep saying they'll pay her tomorrow.

So I'll go meet them in person. Calling them will never work.

How shameless of them, trying to not pay her.

It might not be because they're shameless.

It might be because they don't have the money.

Are you taking their side as a store owner?

I was once paid a salary, too.

So I know how it feels not to be paid in time.

But I'm now in no position to curse at people who can't pay their employees.

When I was running a business,

if I could pay my employees by sacrificing one of my arms,

I would have gladly done it.

The sweet potato oven business? Every house has an air fryer now.

Not for households, for businesses. The one that's bigger than that one.

I was so frustrated and wanted to go somewhere to pray,

but there weren't any churches open that early.

The only place I could go to

was a convenience store.

And when I was sitting here, all depressed,

I got a message from a colleague.

He asked if I wanted to run a convenience store in my neighborhood.

And that was this place.

That's who I am.

I always know in advance where I belong, like a psychic.

Sir.

Then go sit in some chairman's office of a big company tomorrow.

Tell them that's where you belong.

Tell them you just know it.

Instead of going to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Why do you keep going to the palace where there's no chance?

Your last name isn't even Yi.

Take care.

Where's Gi-jeong?

She says she's busy.

I think I know why she's upset.

Me too.

All rise.

We'll sing hymn number 38.

I took a day off to attend the kid's graduation ceremony.

But she asked me why since I won't even be in the photos.

She said someone like me shouldn't be in a picture with her

on her graduation day,

since if someone asks, "Who's this lady?" one day,

then she'll have to say, "Someone my dad used to date."

I mean, how could she say that? When I'm right there with them.

Did I say anything wrong?

Tell her to know her place.

Only your family should come to your graduation.

Why would she be there when you're just dating?

But they're not just dating.

They're going to get married.

Then she should join when they're married. Who knows what will happen?

She still shouldn't have suddenly looked at her phone

and left saying, "I forgot I had plans."

She was obviously lying

and showing that she was upset.

That was so immature.

And that wasn't the first time.

When I raised my voice a bit, she said she forgot she had other plans.

Why does she forget about her plans every time?

She should make up different excuses, at least.

She always has to show that she's upset.

Is she supposed to argue with you then?

Father's looking.

Today, even those who get angry at their own siblings

or call them idiots or dummies…

Just get married already without worrying about me.

Spit out your gum.

Lastly, we will end the Mass

-with the Prayer of Confession. -My lord.

-I'm to blame, -I'm to blame.

-I'm to blame. It is my fault. -I'm to blame.

It's not the first time you've treated her like that.

But you've never apologized to her properly.

Do you think I do it for no reason? It's for Yu-rim's sake.

Stop using her as an excuse!

Or I'll move out with her.

What? So Yu-rim's all grown up now, huh? Are you saying you don't need us anymore?

Seriously…

I'm sorry.

I got too upset.

What do you want for lunch?

It's puberty.

Chang-hee just came back and had lunch with us.

Yes.

Mr. Gu visited.

I…

gave him your number.

Did he call you yet?

We met up.

I see. That's good.

Take care. Bye.

Okay, take care, Dad.

Who did you meet?

CARD ISSUING OFFICE NO PHONES OR CAMERAS

It's like a blank check

since the card has the customer's personal information.

So, the security tends to be tight here, even within the company.

Even one misprint, and you'll require authorization to discard it.

About ten million cards are issued a year.

Everyone owns more than one card, right? And they need another one if they lose it.

And there are about a thousand different kinds of cards.

Once a card is launched, it's almost impossible to end the service.

Since there are cards organizations have used for a long time.

And the VIP cards are handcrafted one by one.

A lot of work for the VIP department, too?

Yes, it's Monday.

Mi-jeong.

Let's go.

You look like you belong in Yeouido.

Wherever you are, you always look like you belong there.

Even in Gangnam.

I also look like someone from Sanpo when I'm there.

You live in Gangbuk now, though.

But it doesn't feel like my neighborhood yet.

Compared to the workload, the salary isn't as high,

but it's better than working at Joy Card.

They also don't treat permanent and temp workers differently.

If I started my career at this company, I'd be an assistant manager by now.

I shouldn't have wasted my time at Joy Card.

Did you hear Han Su-jin left?

I checked the job title chart, and Han Su-jin was gone.

Why would you check that?

I always check where those people have gone to work.

It's ecstatic to know I don't have to work with them.

"Yes, she has finally disappeared."

We've beat them, Mi-jeong.

I'm not even in the design field anymore.

But you're not staying there forever.

I'll stay.

What? Don't waste your talent.

It's a talent that only you recognize.

Be honest with me. Are you really not aware how good you are?

Before, if I worked on the design all night and submitted it

and they rejected it, I would think, "What did I work all night for?"

Even if I thought I did a good job, if they said no,

all the work I did would go down the drain.

But it's different here.

It really feels like I'm working.

I think I'm better suited for jobs that require precision over creativity.

Give your skills to me, if you're not going to use them.

Take them.

I used to feel bad for her since she was very quiet and looked sad.

How could she turn into a delinquent, all of a sudden?

You get farsighted before you know it as you age.

She became a delinquent just like that.

I get scared and stutter when she talks.

I'm not confident I could live with a kid like that.

But I can't leave her with her aunties and live with Tae-hun alone.

My conscience won't let me.

We agreed to get married when she turns 20.

But when she's 20,

I'll be 50, damn it.

Hey.

Didn't we reach 40 so fast?

Wouldn't 50 come fast, too?

It can't! Hey, 50 shouldn't come so fast.

But you said you'd marry Tae-hun at 50.

I know, but…

It shouldn't come too soon, but I hope it does at the same time.

Age 50…

Do you think you'll even have any emotions when you're 50?

Won't it just be like being an animal at that age?

Living just because you are alive and eating fodder, right?

As a 50-year-old lady who's living just because I'm alive and eating fodder,

I'll tell you something.

I understand why you think that way.

I really do.

I thought I would be so cool when I turned 30,

but it didn't turn out that way.

And I thought, "How will I live in my 40s?"

"And my 50s?"

-"What's the point of living?" -We should just die.

"I should just die then."

But…

at age 50?

It's just the same.

You become 50 years old before you realize it.

I feel like I took a short nap

one day when I was 13

and just woke up.

Don't you feel the same?

Twelve for me.

You always try to count one year less.

-What about you? -Hey, let's go.

-Where? -Home.

Hey, drink.

You'll probably feel the same as me at 80, too, I bet.

Hey, bottoms up.

INWANGJESAEKDO BY JEONG SEON 216TH NATIONAL TREASURE

When I saw ink paintings in art books in school,

I'd wonder, "Is this China? North Korea?"

I've never seen mountains like these.

All the paintings from the Joseon era are of rocky mountains.

When I moved here, I realized,

"So this is where they were."

"Jeong Seon just painted what was in his back garden at the time."

The mountains of Gyeonggi were green and covered in scrub.

Weirdly, these rocky mountains can only be found in Gangbuk.

Not south of the Han River.

I was really surprised while taking a walk around Gyeongbokgung Palace.

You can pass through four neighborhoods in ten minutes.

I was wondering why the neighborhoods were divided up so small,

and it turns out they didn't divide them by area, but by population,

and the population density there during the Joseon era was extremely high.

Have you ever heard of Palpan-dong?

It's a neighborhood behind Gyeongbokgung Palace.

During the Joseon era, they say that eight ministers lived in that area alone.

So it was called "Palpan-dong."

Do you have an exam?

What are you studying so hard for?

I'm a Seoul man now.

Sir.

People from Seoul don't know any of that stuff.

Also, your family must live in Seoul for three generations to be really from Seoul.

Says who?

That professor who studies Seoul.

If you live in Seoul, you're a Seoul man. Three generations, my ass.

Are you a Seoul man?

Of course. We've been living in this neighborhood since my grandpa.

Good for you.

Then I guess my grandson will be a Seoul man.

But you won't get married.

Didn't you say it was over between you two?

She was pretty.

Do you ever miss Seon-u?

Well, sometimes?

I'd be very lonely

if the person I'd lived with for seven years was gone.

It is lonely, but there are many improvements too.

For starters,

no in-laws.

That's good.

That'd mean no more Cho Gyeong-seon.

Now that I'm on my own,

I feel sorry for pitying my friends who weren't married and living alone before.

I realized I was arrogant.

Even if you live alone, it's fine. You can be perfectly happy.

You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want,

and sleep whenever you want.

Eating and sleeping…

I had no idea that doing these simple things however I want was such a joy.

Even if I don't clean for a week, things stay where I left them.

-Hey. -Yes?

The thing you liked about being married before

was having someone to go and eat tteokbokki with at 2 a.m.

When I heard that, I thought,

"I see. That sounds nice."

You have no idea how jealous I was.

Do you think I'd get a craving for tteokbokki at 2 a.m. every day?

After being single again, I realized

what a difficult life I'd been living all this time, like a wheel going round.

Having to go to my in-laws' house when the time came.

There were so many people I had to have meals with.

No matter how you look at it, life as a human,

whether it's married life or work life,

is about putting in the effort to get on with others.

Now that my husband is gone, I've let it all go.

"It's fine."

"I don't have to try to get on with anyone."

"It's okay to live alone."

I didn't even get to try that yet.

-Gosh, it's so cold! -Get off me.

PREGNANCY TEST

What shall we get?

I want gan jjambbong.

Sure.

I want this one.

What?

Did you just finish your academy?

Oh, this…

I'm not.

If I buy one of these, my period always starts.

So, I just end up wasting my money every time.

I'm not, I'm definitely not.

Yu-rim.

That lady just put a pregnancy test in her pocket.

Who?

I'm going to pay for it. I am.

BOOK RETURNS

What brings you here, sir?

I was in the area for lunch.

Why do you order so many new products?

You're helping Mr. Kim out too much.

Even if I could never make team leader,

I'm going to make my branch manager a team leader.

I'm impressed.

You paid off that loan.

I would have just given up.

How did you hold out?

Well, it was do-or-die.

There was this guy I knew.

He used to stare at the mountain every day.

He said there were 7.7 billion people just like him on Earth,

but he didn't know how much 7.7 billion was,

so he said if you replaced each human with a one-won coin,

a total of 7.7 billion 1-won coins…

would be piled up to the size of that mountain.

I realized I was just a tiny one-won coin…

and there was no need to make such a fuss through life.

Who said that?

Yu-rim said she saw it.

If she says she's pregnant,

don't beat around the bush, and just ask her to marry you.

I think that's the right thing to do.

Dragging things out like this will only be hard on both of you,

and Yu-rim will dote on the baby once she sees it wriggling around.

All right.

Okay. Bye.

SHALL WE GET DINNER TOGETHER TODAY?

Sounds great!

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO EAT?

I want to eat everything!

They should have delivered the heater.

It'll be at your door.

Your habit of leaving me on read hasn't changed.

SAFEGUARD HEATER

Unlike the others in this field,

you don't gamble, you don't chase women.

You don't do anything else. You just drink quietly by yourself.

I liked that, and that's why I came this far with you.

But now, alcohol is the problem.

I heard that you beat up one of your managers recently over nothing.

You're not as thorough as you used to be.

Do you really have no plans to stop?

Don't tell me you're not an alcoholic.

If you don't have the willpower, try taking medicine.

Try everything you can.

Are you going to go down like this?

I heard you told Baek's younger sister

to go to the hospital and get therapy.

Telling her about some two-thirds point or something.

What was it?

The point where it all becomes nothing.

Were those all empty words?

I do see

a doctor.

They told me you don't come anymore.

I changed my doctor.

Dr. Kim was boring.

Is therapy supposed to be fun?

I can't talk to a dull person even for ten minutes.

What did you talk about?

He said I was always

on guard.

Because I'm "one."

Watching out for a knife or a bottle coming at me,

or if someone pocketed any money.

I watch them, catch them, and beat them up.

It's not like I have a partner that I can share the workload with.

I'm always alone.

One.

I try to be happy for just five minutes a day.

So I try to gather up

moments of excitement in four and seven-second chunks,

to fill five minutes a day.

But I haven't even been able to gather one second today.

Just now, while talking to you…

I got excited for three seconds.

It's six seconds now.

It's quite long today.

Twelve times.

Your nickname is now "Twelve Times."

You change your mind twelve times a day.

Don't underestimate me. It's a million times.

Do you want a part-time job?

What kind of part-time job?

Cleaning?

No.

Then what?

Listening to me talk.

When I…

started out as a host,

I quit after just two weeks, thinking, "There's no way I can do this."

All people do is complain.

"My husband is having an affair," and so on.

I would rather go and get beaten up until my nose bleeds than do this.

You should get paid to listen to someone else talking.

How about ten sessions?

You usually get therapy in sets of ten sessions.

After the ten sessions,

if I still have things to say,

we'll do another ten sessions.

You like listening to me talk.

You're putting words in my mouth now.

She became a widow after seven years of marriage.

But…

while they were married,

she says half her brain was always thinking about preparing food.

"What do we have in the fridge?"

"We need to eat the vegetables before they go bad. The fish!"

I know what she means.

After Mom passed, I always thought, "Feed Dad!"

Exhausted after working overtime, I'd be on my way home sleepily,

and remember, "Right, I didn't get flour."

Eat slowly. You'll get indigestion.

You already ate a big dinner.

Weirdly, for me, with fruit,

I have to fill up my whole mouth for it to taste good.

Like when you drink juice.

You know? With fruit juice, you have to fill your whole mouth.

And, I feel like I eat more on that day.

When it starts, I get cravings. Everything is so delicious.

Before period, everything's annoying. I want to knock everything down.

But as soon as it starts, all of that goes away.

I'm like, "When was I depressed?"

You're on your period.

Thank goodness. I thought…

You thought I was pregnant.

No, I'm not!

Thank goodness for that.

Come on!

Well…

I'm sorry.

I made a mistake.

Don't worry about it.

I'm really sorry.

When I met you again,

I regretted it.

"Crazy bastard."

"What are you thinking?"

"I think I ended things with her in Sanpo pretty well."

"I'm sure I wasn't that awful to her."

"I should've left it at that."

Yeom Mi-jeong!

You startled me.

Just know this.

I liked you for real.

Later…

I have no idea what kind of mess I might become.

I'll probably end up homeless.

I'll be grateful if I could end things before then.

Anyway, I really liked you.

Thank you.

I really hate people.

I hate seeing them moving around in front of me.

If my temper suddenly flares, I don't know what kind of expression I might show you,

what I might do, or what I might say to you.

I'm scared.

But…

remember this one thing.

Even if I end up becoming the asshole to end all assholes later on,

remember I really liked you.

I want to record it.

Record it.

Do it.

Yeom Mi-jeong! I really liked you!

Yeom Mi-jeong.

After the ten sessions, if I still have things to say,

we'll do another ten sessions.

And after we extend our sessions,

we'll end it there

if I have nothing more to say.

Let's…

end it then.

All right.

How's Chang-hee doing?

I finished repaying my loan yesterday.

You've worked hard.

I'll head down to see you next weekend.

You're busy, there's no need.

It's fine. Don't come.

Don't skip your meals.

Talk soon. Okay.

I'll be back.

Do you want to break me down?

You have to be with someone who's broken to feel alive and needed,

but you must be bored to death since I'm doing just fine.

-That's not true! -Yes, it is!

I need to be sick and dying like Hyeok-su for you to passionately care for me,

but I'm too healthy and working too hard, so you're so bored.

Because I'm diligent and normal!

With the convenience store,

I just started feeling like I can get by.

I'm not crawling back into that hell just for your enjoyment.

I'm not going stand being looked down on and feeling like a piece of shit.

Nor am I going to be terminally ill. Never!

I'm going to keep living a normal life.

So just leave.

If things get too tough for you,

come back.

If I'm still alone,

I'll be here for you.

And after a while,

if you want to leave again,

then leave again.

It's all right.

This time,

let's part ways with blessings for each other.

What blessings? Do you go to church?

Hyeon-a.

Ji Hyeon-a.

It's all right.

I hold nothing against you.

I've always known what kind of a person you are,

and I'm not mad that I didn't get things the way that I wanted,

so you don't have to be sorry that you couldn't keep up.

I mean it.

I really hold nothing against you.

Really.

I wish that you were happy.

Let's both

bless each other without any hatred in our hearts…

and end things here.

Gu.

I don't think I was a one-won coin.

I think I've been that mountain all along.

I think I'll return to that mountain.

MY LIBERATION NOTES

I like it when you shout, "Yeom Mi-jeong!"

Yeom Mi-jeong!

But I was determined from the moment I met you.

And he asked me if he could see the liberation notes.

Are we going to be authors, then?

Love is supposed to give you strength, but will I be happy if we broke up?

You know the test is at our store, right?

I thought I had finally made a breakthrough in life.

Spring must be on its way.

I'm sure he's pocketed a lot of money all this time.

Let's end it with him.

"I'm definitely not happy."

"So please punish me just a little."

"Please."

Subtitle translation by: Elodie Lieberman

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