Original subtitles

BLOOD FREE

EPISODE 2

Mr. Woo Chaewoon?

Yes.

This way, please.

RESTRICTED AREA

VR ROOM

[On] Here are your suit and gloves.

Wear these goggles too.

All right. Let's begin.

[sighs]

[grunts]

[grunting]

[exhales]

Why did he stop? He can keep attacking and not wait for the system to load.

Is he waiting for him to get up?

Oh. [chuckles]

Well, thank goodness.

I thought the program froze because it's old.

At least you have an older version.

Operations have come to a halt for my team.

The locked files make it impossible to operate.

[sighs] Look, there's no data on-screen.

We need to see oxygen saturation levels and things like that.

You can tell they're low on oxygen just by

- looking at them. - Yeah, yeah.

[grunting]

[electronic voice] Only shoot the red targets.

Now, look behind you.

BLOOD FREE

No need to get up.

[Woo] On San, research director and the leader of Research Team Two.

He founded BF alongside Yun Jayu.

But when BF struggled in the beginning, he went into the medical field

and worked as a medical examiner for three years.

What did you do at the Naval Intelligence Command?

I was part of the team that provided support

for Aircraft and Ship Info-Communications.

Then you transferred to the Recon Team.

[Woo] He avoids media appearances at all costs

and has never attended a BF event despite his position as the research director.

You got RIMPAC training in the US for an extended period of time.

It's like the Navy SEALs, right?

I didn't get training in the US.

I only participated in the RIMPAC program.

You left the military last year.

With your background, you could've had a stable lifelong career as a naval officer.

You could've had a stable career too. As a medical examiner.

Since you investigated my background, I assume that you also reviewed Ms. Yun's.

Will I... Will I be assigned to Ms. Yun then?

Why did you leave Sanghwa Group?

I'm sure working security for the chairman paid well.

Fortunately, Chairman Park isn't in need of my services.

No one is out to get him.

The one who actually needs close protection is

right here, at BF.

In 2023, Yun Jayu was targeted

during her visit to a production facility in North America

and the suspect, likely a hit man, was shot dead on the spot.

An extremist targeted her during a Greenpeace meeting in '24.

These are only a couple of the well-known incidents that have happened.

Thank you for coming today.

- Are we done? - You're free to go.

- I also have a question. - Yes, what is it?

How much is the salary?

Sorry?

Am I not allowed to ask?

When you worked for Sanghwa, what was your salary?

Isn't that... written down there?

Well, since you want to negotiate your wage,

we don't ask about our employees' previous salary.

But you just did.

Your working hours will be irregular.

That won't be an issue for me.

You get paid at least the same amount.

We can negotiate further if we hire you.

Understood.

Thank you.

CONTROL ROOM

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

KIM SINGU, LEADER BF RESEARCH TEAM 3

No one on my team accessed any external network during working hours.

My team didn't either.

We only used the internal network as per security rules.

- Same goes for us. - And the ransomware?

I'm afraid that both the Security Team and I

have yet to fix the issue.

We're still working on it.

Should we stay shut down for a bit longer?

Rumors will spread once the employees turn on their computers on Monday.

Thank you, everyone.

- Bye for now. - Just one more thing, Ms. Yun.

The personal security candidate just left.

Huh.

He's quite competent but very outspoken.

He'll be a man of few words but stubborn.

Loyal but not submissive.

It's like you interviewed yourself.

What's important is that everything about him checks out.

I'm sure Sanghwa did a thorough background check

for their chairman.

What's most crucial for you is whether or not he's trustworthy.

That's what matters the most.

It's just my opinion.

I'll keep that in mind.

[Jeong] I have some bad news

and some not-so-bad news.

How much worse can things get?

Looks like you'll need to visit Prime Minister Seonu Jae.

He wants to see you regarding the culture fluid rumors.

Are you free this afternoon?

He says that's the only moment he's free.

Should I let him down easy?

"I'm truly sorry,

but Ms. Yun isn't available today."

I could say that.

Tell him I'm free and that I'll go see him.

What about the not-so-bad news?

I'm sorry, but that was the not-so-bad one.

Now this is the bad news.

[in Spanish] Don't get in our way. We'll kill anyone who does.

BF will pay for threatening our business.

Whoever brings us Yun Jayu's head will get three million USD.

We're warning you, Yun Jayu.

Ignore us, and this is what you'll get.

[Jeong, in English] They're a South American gang called Bosque Archi.

They've put a price on your head.

They were originally a drug cartel.

But they also set jungles on fire, exploit the locals,

and operate a huge tropical farm.

They produce the food you said you'd culture in the next six months.

So South America is a no-go.

This is no time for jokes.

Those bastards...

I'd get it if they were Korean farmers.

But why are these scumbags getting so worked up?

Because I threatened their primary industry.

I've always known this would happen.

Well, as long as you're okay, I guess.

But I'm not.

Now that I've seen it, I'm scared.

I'm terrified.

Ms. Yun.

One of the security officer candidates we interviewed today used to be a cyclist.

His thighs were... I mean...

You won't believe it, but they were this thick.

He even subdued a mugger on the street.

- That's nice. - The man Mr. On just mentioned is also...

super strong.

[Yun] I'm not sure about him.

[Jeong] Do you not like him? Would you like us to disqualify him?

What was his VR test score?

Mansik.

Mansik?

Hands.

Is the test not over yet?

- Is it real this time? - Chaewoon.

What kind of name is "Mansik"? Pretty lame, don't you think?

Let him go.

[stranger] You first.

[grunting]

[groans]

[panting]

[stranger] You must get paid generously for a soldier

to send your child to a foreign school.

Who sent you here?

We need you to bring us

Yun Jayu of BF.

That's all we want.

There will be no harm to her,

so there's no reason to feel bad about it.

We just have a few questions for her.

Go get her yourself.

[stranger] Your kid goes to an expensive school.

If you're not up for it,

just let us know

when and where...

Yun Jayu will be alone.

Money.

Your family's safety.

Don't you want to have both?

[groans] Wait. Wait.

- Calm down. - [doorbell rings]

Open the door. She'll explain everything.

That's all I know.

[Jeong] Mr. Woo, I'd like you to come with me.

I was rooting for you.

I did think you were the perfect candidate.

Are you saying I'm not?

I'm not sure. I don't have the final say anyhow.

You see, we have no time to relax.

Ms. Yun's number of enemies has increased.

Who are these people?

They're just a bunch of drug addicts.

[protester 1] Illegal research!

[protester 2] Condemn the murderer Yun Jayu!

[crowd clamoring]

[protester 1] Cultured meat should be thrown away!

Good luck.

We know each other's names, but shouldn't we say hello anyway?

My family is not cultured meat.

Please don't experiment with them.

I was verifying, not experimenting.

Please step away from the window.

May I close these?

The reason for verification is because you don't know whom to trust.

A security officer who turns on you could be your biggest threat.

But trust goes both ways. Trust must be established

between security and the client

for maximum efficiency.

Also you should...

stay away from windows.

Mr. Woo.

Yes, ma'am.

I have high hopes that you're the right person for the job.

You randomly appeared at the right time somehow.

However,

it just so happens that you seem to possess all the necessary skills.

I considered asking why you happen to have all the experience that we need.

But if you really had an ulterior motive,

you would've already prepared your answers thoroughly.

Could you please tell me what experience I have that you require?

[Yun] As it turned out, you were there when the cattle farmer died.

You also happen to work

in security.

Add to that your previous experience.

I was on my way back from the event at the time of the incident.

The event?

Correct.

So you were at our presentation?

I went there willingly, so that's not a coincidence.

And security work is just my job.

I don't know what else to say about this.

However,

I didn't think you'd recall my former military experience.

But it was on your résumé.

What exactly are you talking about?

OCTOBER 2020 NAVAL INTELLIGENCE COMMAND

[Yun] Naval Intelligence Command.

What about that?

Is that a problem too?

You recall CitizenX, right?

They attacked while you were serving.

Correct.

- What happened? Was it resolved? - I'm afraid that's classified.

Were you able to decrypt the ransomware or did you pay them?

That's classified information.

So you couldn't.

And you never caught them.

No one in history

has caught the culprits behind the ransomware.

- Not even one? - Not even one.

How much are they demanding from BF?

Here it is, sir.

[Yun] Hypothetically speaking,

would they decrypt the files if we paid them?

The loss for us would be two- to threefold if they don't.

Unless they plan on retiring with 80 billion won,

they won't make a run for it.

If word gets out that they reneged on their promise,

no one would pay them again.

So we pay them. Then what?

They'll unlock the files. But that's not what you were asking.

Is there any way of catching them?

Assuming that those responsible are extremely greedy...

Then what would happen?

Your...

only chance is when they exchange the Bitcoin.

Let's say there's a record of someone withdrawing 80 billion won.

Then you can track them down.

I would trade small amounts of it.

I'd take my time, go to every exchange location in the world

and withdraw tiny amounts.

Either that or...

They make small withdrawals simultaneously.

[sighs]

In any case, I have to pay...

if I want to catch them.

Then wait and see what happens.

I'd rather burn that money than pay these bastards.

[phone rings]

Yes, Ms. Yun?

The ransom.

Let's pay it.

Are you serious?

[Yun] Do it.

[sighs]

[sighs]

I can't believe this.

Forget it.

I'm done.

You win, jackasses.

Payment has been sent.

The files are unlocked.

[Woo] You need to report this now.

You have to.

Even a major corporation like yours can't monitor every exchange location.

A governmental authority needs to open an international investigation.

[Yun] People will think the rumors are true if we report this.

If they hear about this right after the rumors about our culture fluid...

Plus, they were targeting our lab where we keep all our classified information.

[Woo] No one has caught these hackers

because the victims swept it under the rug.

And that's exactly what the hackers want.

[Yun] People won't think that this was a baseless attack against us.

They'll believe that our secrets have been leaked.

[phone buzzes]

[Yeongsil] Ma'am, you have an appointment in 40 minutes.

[Woo sighs]

- Where's your car? - Yeongsil, get the car ready.

[Yeongsil] Yes, getting your car ready now.

Hello, my name is Kim Hoseung.

Hello.

I'll be the driver, obviously.

[sighs]

We're all set to go.

It's going to rain a lot this evening,

but I'll drive safely.

[Hoseung] Wow, they're still at it?

Aren't they cold out there?

What if we gave the demonstrators some food, ma'am?

That's enough.

Maybe they wouldn't bad-mouth you,

if you gave them something to eat.

[Woo sighs]

[gasps]

THE FILES ARE UNLOCKED MS. YUN PAID THE RANSOM

[caller] Mr. On, the deceased victim who jumped off the overpass,

is resting at B-3.

[phone buzzes]

MS. YUN PAID THE RANSOM

WISHING YOU HEAVENLY BLESSINGS AND ETERNAL HAPPINESS

[visitor sobbing] He never caused problems with anyone in his life.

He was always busy looking after his cows.

[sobbing]

Oh, my poor brother! My God!

Some of his bones were still there.

They weren't completely burned.

So they had to grind them up!

[phone buzzes]

CHIEF RESEARCHER HONG SAEIP

- Why couldn't he just die in peace. - Hello?

[caller 2] Mr. On, can you talk right now?

- Well... - Sir, where are you right now?

I'm at... I'm sorry, but I'll have to call you back.

[sibling] He didn't do anything wrong.

All he did was work hard every day.

Working hard was the only thing my poor brother did.

It's you, right?

You and I previously...

Right?

- Right. - So it is you.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

We're working for a major corporation now, you know?

I guess big companies hand out these for free.

I guess this is like our ID card.

I need an ID card with a blue lanyard.

I want to have an iced Americano with that hanging around my neck

on my lunch break.

[sighs]

So what's your name?

[clicks tongue] It's Woo Chaewoon.

I'm Kim Hoseung.

How old are you?

- How old am I? - Do you mind if I call you "sir"?

You look like you could be my uncle.

- I do? - Am I wrong?

Oh, oh, I apologize.

- Let's focus. - Yes, sir.

[sighs]

Ms. Yun. BF plays a part

in us developing trust with foreign countries.

Tainting your company's reputation will also taint our country's.

"The culture fluid rumors aren't true. I'll give you scientific proof."

I was expecting this kind of answer from you today, but...

You got hacked?

And you already paid the ransom?

- Yes. - Then it's done.

It's all over now.

Prime Minister,

our lab has the core technology that helped us dominate

the cultured meat market.

It's wishful thinking to believe that the hackers only locked the files

and didn't steal any of the information.

What if they already copied and sold the technology?

You got hacked two days ago.

All the more reason to catch them.

We need to find out what information leaked where.

Then why haven't you reported this if it was that important?

I would've done so if we could catch them.

But in reality, we can't even catch scammers who reveal their voices.

Sir,

cryptocurrency leaves a trace as soon as an exchange is made.

I just need your help in finding out who withdrew it

or is planning to do so.

[grunts] The culture fluid rumors

are true, aren't they?

That's why you couldn't report this.

That's absolutely incorrect.

Are your illegal research rumors true then?

[inhales sharply] What do you imagine the public believes

if even the prime minister assumes such things?

How would they have reacted if I publicly disclosed the hacking incident?

You said BF's credibility affects that of this country's.

I'm only here to...

protect that credibility.

Because I know you're different.

Let's not kid ourselves.

You're only here because you need me to assert my power and governmental authority

without having to reveal your company's name.

These ransomware perpetrators have never been apprehended by anyone.

I'd like you to become

the first elected official to do so.

[laughing]

[sighs]

Look.

How about we do this?

I'm listening, sir.

[voicemail] I'm sorry. Ms. Yun is unavailable right now.

There have been many accidents due to the rain today.

Thankfully, someone saw what happened and she could be saved just in time.

Oh, someone saw what happened? How did her car fall into the water?

The witness didn't see that specifically.

They just spotted her vehicle before it went completely underwater.

Yeah.

- [Yun] Let's go to the Seoul office. - Yes, ma'am.

We're in a pickle thanks to your company.

BF is raking in money, but people want compensation

from the government.

So first,

I'd like your company to donate money to a primary industry.

As for the amount...

You generously paid 80 billion won to those thieves.

So I assume it won't be an issue for you

to give the same amount to the people, right?

As a donation to the government, of course.

- And the second condition? - Hmm.

The second one.

Provide evidence to the general public that your culture fluid is risk-free.

I'll provide evidence that our cultured meat is risk-free.

So you refuse to disclose your culture fluid's ingredients?

The ingredients and their combinations

are the core of this business and are top secret.

It'd be suicide for the company to disclose them

just to overcome this hurdle.

Everyone would duplicate it.

[sighs]

Then should the people continue to tremble in fear?

You didn't single-handedly monopolize the market.

You said, "We don't kill animals or emit carbon dioxide."

You owe as much to those

who placed their trust in you and consumed your products.

If our culture fluid was full of germs, our meat would be too.

You can't deny that, can you?

We've already asked for official analysis of our products.

I'll agree to the donation

of 80 billion won.

Now, will Interpol keep an eye on the exchanges?

I'll make sure they do.

"The first prime minister to catch the ransomware hackers."

I wouldn't mind such a legacy either.

[Yun scoffs] That sly bastard.

[phone buzzes]

Uh, hello?

You called earlier.

Which hospital?

- What? - Ms. Hong got into an accident.

She was speeding, and the road was covered in sleet.

She slid into the river.

Um, she was in the car at around 5:00 p.m.

[Yun] Why did this have to happen today of all days?

Which hospital is it?

Is she conscious?

She wasn't underwater for long. She should wake up soon.

- How long was she underwater? - [On] We don't know yet.

They can't get the car out until tomorrow.

We'll find out what really happened once we check the dashcam.

[Yun] Okay.

- Call me if anything changes. - Mm-hmm.

BANISH BF!

- I'll park the car and go right up. - You may go home.

- I'll escort you to... - See you on Monday.

[Yun] First, our lab system is compromised.

And now, a lab employee's been hospitalized.

The attack is focused on the lab.

Does this mean the threat...

is coming from the inside?

Good work today.

[lock beeps]

[Woo] "She's building a safe house with state-of-the-art security.

She seems to be staying at different hotels until it's complete."

Bad intel.

[sighs]

[meows]

[door opens]

JUNHUI LOVED IT. WHAT DID YOU DO YESTERDAY?

I'M WORKING. I'LL TEXT YOU LATER.

- Not even one? - [Woo] Not even one.

[navy officer] The ransomware blocked the crypto device and our security system.

We can't send classified info.

We'd be powerless if North Korea attempted to hack us now.

[navy officer 2] Maybe they're behind this.

They want us to think it's CitizenX when it's actually North Korea.

That's a possibility, but CitizenX is an existing hacking organization.

We must prepare ourselves in case it's them.

This was the file CitizenX sent in 2021

to an oil pipeline company.

The info, format and font are identical

to the file we received.

We think CitizenX is a Russian organization, sir.

Russian? On what grounds?

It's different.

[Yun breathes heavily]

DIRECTOR JEONG HAEDEUN

[phone buzzes]

Did something happen?

[Jeong] Oh, I'm so sorry. Were you sleeping?

[sighs]

What is it?

Mr. Woo is waiting on the first floor.

He doesn't have access.

But the thing is, I'm home right now.

All right.

Yeongsil, open the first-floor security gate.

[Yeongsil] Yes, ma'am.

And give Woo Chaewoon my number.

[Woo] Sorry to bother you at this hour.

I assume you're here for a reason.

CitizenX attacked an oil pipeline company in 2021.

This is the file they sent.

It was never officially announced,

but an intelligence agency believes

that CitizenX is a Russian organization.

[Yun] On what basis?

They made their first appearance five years ago.

Their malware back then had a Cyrillic letter in it.

They've fixed the mistake since then.

But there are still traces of Russian syntax.

All I see is plain English.

To be exact, it's punctuation usage, not syntax.

You can speak Russian?

I used a translator.

This is a list of Russian and Korean symbols.

According to what it says here,

the two countries share 16 punctuation marks.

Apart from these symbols,

the ones that they use are very different.

These are what we would consider quotation marks.

And only Russia uses them as quotes.

They also often use this backslash.

Other countries rarely use it unless it's for coding.

Especially not in the middle of a sentence.

Do you have a screenshot of the hackers' message by any chance?

Here.

These single angle brackets.

Only Koreans use those.

And Russians rarely use these symbols.

Most importantly though,

there isn't a single symbol that only Russia uses.

This looks very similar to CitizenX's method,

but this is a copycat crime.

Someone put a lot of effort into masquerading as CitizenX

to hide their identity.

[On] No one on my team accessed any external network during working hours.

[Seo] We only used the internal network as per security rules.

[Yun] What if someone

hacked into our system without pretending to be a hacker?

Would we have caught them right away?

If they hacked the system without pretending to be CitizenX?

Hmm.

No, they would've still been untraceable.

They'd still be anonymous.

[Yun] This individual went out of their way to hide their identity?

[Woo] Perhaps they needed the disguise because they're always by your side.

They're so close to you they're worried

that you'd be suspicious of them.

Someone I know.

Someone who knows me.

Yeongsil.

[Yeongsil] Yes, ma'am.

Tell Mr. Seo to come to the lab right away.

[Yeongsil] Calling Mr. Seo.

There are 200 workers at the lab

and a total of almost 1,000 workers who have access to the network.

Mr. Seo will be the first to know

that I suspect someone in this company.

They just happened to hack us right when we presented our new product.

Do you think they knew we'd all be at the event

and that the laboratory would be empty?

[Yun] Not everyone was at the event.

ON SAN

If it was Mr. On...

If it was him,

he would've done anything to hide his identity.

But...

San isn't the only one.

Can we catch those bastards who said my culture fluid was trash?

[Yun] They're all the same.

They said it was full of germs!

Then the media reported it,

- and people believed them... - [Yun] The closer, the more dangerous.

I devoted my entire life to this.

[Yun] Was it all an act?

Did Professor Kim do it himself and pretend he was upset?

[On] Ms. Hong got into an accident.

She was speeding, and the road was covered in sleet.

She was in the car at around 5:00 p.m.

[Yun] Why was she driving so fast at that hour?

Because she received the money?

If that's the case, the first person who knew the money was being wired was...

[Jeong] Payment has been sent.

[Yun] Jeong Haedeun.

She has access to the lab's network

even though she doesn't work at the lab.

[sighs]

Could it really be

one of them?