Original subtitles

If you don't want to end up like her

then spit it out.

I'll think of our children and spare your life.

Greed…

has driven you mad.

A bunch of vultures… circling a piece of rotting flesh.

That's right.

I know where he hid the gold.

It's right beside you all.

From the beginning, had you been this obedient,

things would have been simpler.

Where?

You all can walk about,

breathe the air,

and live with the thing you so desire,

but don't ever dream of touching it.

Damn you!

Speak! Where's the gold? Spit it out!

Besides me,

only my wife and daughter know that secret.

You took away my greatest treasure…

You son of a bitch!

Nam, Nam!

My treasure!

Stop his bleeding! Do you hear me?

You can't die.

My gold… Quick!

You can't die!

Nam! Nam!

Where's my treasure?

PRESENT DAY

Is anyone home?

Mrs. Hong?

Van?

Damn it!

Suong.

Look at me. We need to talk.

At least make it clear to me what you want.

Clear my ass. Clear so you can go tell the cops?

I love you…

but I had to do that for my dad.

If it were your parents in the cell, what would you do?

Vy got a lawyer to bail her out.

But how could I possibly afford one?

My dad is old, he won't be able to last in there.

So did ratting me out to the cops…

help save your old man?

You think I betrayed you?

What about Luu?

He's even worse.

He exposed you to discredit your testimony.

Yet you're still devoted to him?

-You fell for his trick. -What trick?

Did he use the idea of "brotherhood" to excite the gangster in you?

Your so-called brotherhood turns out to be nothing…

but taking advantage… and backstabbing each other.

You're just too loyal

so he takes advantage of you.

I don't need your lecture!

I'm not a fool.

You're home?

Yes. I'm back.

-Your hand… -Oh, I slipped on the hillside.

Why did you go there?

I went searching for snakes.

Truc mentioned a "White Snake".

An officer took me to the neighboring village to ask around.

Did you find anything then?

The locals said it's cold season now, so there aren't any snakes around.

He took the whole morning off

and left his post to help you?

It depends on how you talk to them.

They're nice guys.

Anyway, only one guy went with me. The other one stayed at the post.

Where have you been all morning?

I went over to Mrs. Hong's house.

Why did you go there?

When I was playing with Bao

I realized that ''Bunker'' might mean ''under the bed''.

But…

I looked under Truc's bed and didn't find anything.

What if Mrs. Hong saw you?

She wasn't home.

I saw Van there in the morning.

But earlier I dropped by, nobody was around.

The house was empty.

Still, it's dangerous. It's best if we go together.

It's normal… for kids to crawl under their beds.

Well, Truc is basically a big baby.

I think… how he was a kid and how he is now…

isn't much…

What?

Mrs. Hong's current house,

they only moved there later on.

When Truc was a kid…

Where should we start?

How do we know which room was Truc's?

Mom told me not to go inside Truc's room.

Is it really okay?

Vy.

Where are you going?

Vy.

What's wrong?

This… was definitely Truc's room.

Mountain God?

These scratches… are the result of normal wear and tear.

Nothing unusual.

It's not hard to make it look that way though.

In theory, yes.

But in practice, it's hard.

These scratches are pretty random

in terms of shape and position.

Silk is a delicate kind of material.

It needs to be meticulously handled.

If you put too much force,

the scratches will look fake.

Here. Like this.

Just a bit of high heat is enough to create this mark.

High heat? Like tumble dry?

Yes.

Then you must have heard of the term

Criminals using legal financial transacions

to legitimise dirty money is money laundering.

Hmm…

Luu… is a corrupt businessman.

He definitely knows this trick.

Then the pajamas we found at Luu's mom's house

might have been made to look old by a similar technique.

You meant this?

That's right. It was invented by the American Mafia.

They put brand-new counterfeit bills

into a washer or a tumble dryer

then threw in a bunch of coins.

Money after being tumble-dried like that

will look naturally 'used'

and less likely to be noticed by the bank.

-Uncle Mung. -What?

Do you think it's plausible?

Take a break.

We're halfway there.

Let me.

That's right. That's the spot.

Can you still walk?

I'm okay.

Help me get on the tree.

Huh? What?

JAMI SHOP 14 XUAN VU, WARD 5, DA LAT CITY

So? Do you see anything glittering?

You're starting to sound like Bao.

There's nothing that glitters, but…

I can see the White Snake.

Forest God.

This is from last season.

It's been out-of-stock for a while now.

Other shops I've been to also said the same thing.

Can I see the order history for this item

in the past year?

Sure.

So hot!

Thanks for the compliment. I'm busy tonight though.

Oh God. Did I say something silly?

I meant that style.

It suddenly became a hot item lately.

But… are you really busy tonight?

Oh, right. There was a lady who came looking for it earlier.

She liked it so much that she even took the returned set.

Do you remember her face?

This tree must be over a hundred years old.

So the treasure… was buried under this tree?

Not all treasures are buried underground.

Luu!

Lucky me, I got it.

Hey you! How dare you scare me like that?

This wooden toy house…

I've seen… Yen playing with it.

-It's done -Wow! It's beautiful, Dad!

Soon we will have our own house

that looks just like this.

-Sounds good? -Yes!

You'll be able to call me Dad anytime

without worrying about anyone hearing.

Yay!

A beautiful house like this must be very expensive, right Dad?

As long as you like it,

I'll build it for you

no matter the cost.

-Alright? -Yes.

Please give me a copy of this clip.

-I'll ask our tech guy. -Okay!

Did Mr. Nam mention where he got the money to build the house?

No parent would tell their child that.

Try it. See if you can see anything else.

Faster, Dad!

We can't.

-It's dangerous. -Just a bit faster.

It's not dangerous,

-I already learned how. -Uh.

Yen. When we're at home,

what do you call me?

Uh… Uncle Nam.

Good girl! Try to be careful.

-Don't let it slip. -Okay…

Why do I have to call you Uncle?

When you're older,

I'll tell you why.

Okay…

Vy!

Where are you going?

Vy!

CUSTOMER LIST

TRAN HOANG LUU

Luu seems to be a regular customer.

Yes, indeed.

Please give me a copy of this file too.

Sure.

So, Luu has got three sets of white pajamas.

For himself, for Bao, and for Vy.

But this morning Luu's mom bought the exact same set for men

Interesting.

She definitely bought it then made it look worn

to replace the original set. There's more.

The sexy lingerie, if he didn't buy it for Vy,

then it definitely was for… the lovely lady next door.

Adultery is a common cause of murder.

Should we arrest Luu now?

I thought you'd already be on your way to arrest him

regardless of what I have to say?

Hey, this is a valuable evidence.

But it's only enough to detain him,

not to charge him.

Even if we arrest Luu now, Mr. Hung will find a way to bail him out.

Come on. That frown

doesn't look good on you.

Always look on the bright side.

You're right.

Because I jumped the gun and rushed to Scarlet Hill last time,

Luu was able to call his mom in time.

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

Here. Come over here.

Read it.

It contains all of Luu's financial information.

Banks…

and credit unions connected to him

Luu's debt to asset ratio…

Wow!

It seems his business is struggling.

Both his real estate and hotel businesses

are losing money.

How did you see past his extravagant front?

At his mom's house,

I found a pile of urgent bank notices.

Why would someone who is up to his neck in debt

invest in a project like Scarlet Hill?

He came up here and started an affair with Van.

And brought his fiancé to where his mistress is.

Is he a bit too confident about his cheating skill?

Perhaps he didn't have any other choice.

So he had to take Vy to Scarlet Hill.

But there are tons of places

where she can relax and do her treatment.

Something is bugging me.

Why would an eligible man like Luu want to marry Vy?

Surely he has better options.

What is Vy's role in his game of chess?

The pawn or the queen?

Let's not rule out the possibility that they're conspiring together.

Come here.

-Be good. -Green Cannon.

Make your move. Hurry up.

What are you looking at?

I gotta say, your husband really adores the little girl.

They look like father and daughter.

Why am I here?

I'm not sure what to say.

You are physically here.

But your mind was…

Why…

do they keep leading me to this stable?

This is the second time.

There must be something special…

Do you want to see Yen again?

Mom, what is this place?

-I'm scared! -Don't worry. Be good.

What is this place?

I heard this tunnel was built

when the Quach's ancestors just started their business.

It should be more than a hundred years old.

Why would he need a tunnel?

It was a turbulent time,

enemies and thieves everywhere.

Initially, it was the emergency exit.

Then it was expanded into storage for their fortune.

Here. This is it.

What's wrong?

Why did you stop?

I… I saw Mr. Nam pointing at this…

then my head was spinning and… I couldn't see anything else.

There's nothing here.

Are you sure Mr. Nam pointed here?

Vy! There's a path here.

Why would the tunnel lead back to the mansion?

Mr. Nam said this tunnel has many exits.

Then we have to go back down there.

There's definitely something special where Mr. Nam pointed at.

Let's do it another day.

Come on honey. Just try a bit more.

We gotta go back there.

My head is overloaded. I don't think I can handle much more.

How do you know if you haven't tried?

What I saw today is very different from usual.

It's making me nauseous.

There's got to be a clue about what Thuy wanted you to find.

Let's go home. Bao is waiting for me.

What are you worrying about? We have Suong at home.

Hold onto me. Come on.

I don't want to go back there!

Don't force me!

I… I'm sorry.

I just want to put an end to this thing with Thuy soon.

Anyway…

Recently, Luu deposited $85000 into his own bank account.

Perhaps he borrowed money from the mafia

to invest in the Scarlet Hill project?

-Uncle. -Huh?

He put up all of his mom's hotels as collateral.

He must be desperate for money.

She's really paying for her son's mistakes.

Loan Hoang Miller.

Miller?

Perhaps she changed her surname after the second marriage?

When doing a background check on Luu,

did you trace back Mrs. Loan's maiden name?

I did make a request.

But…

C72 did send us a report.

I was so occupied with Dr. Hoa so…

TO LAM DONG POLICE OFFICE

Ah, this is it.

INVESTIGATION REPORT

What is it?

Am I getting released?

-Not yet. -According to your testimony,

you and your wife started working for the Quach family from way back.

What do you think of their family?

I…

I respected Mr. Quach Linh.

When he was alive,

workers like me… got treated very well.

What about Mr. Quach Linh's children?

They were out of control.

The Quach family's downfall was all because of them.

The younger sisters were not too bad.

But Mrs. Hong, she…

She was… vicious.

We found very little information about Mrs. Hong's two sisters.

Shortly after Mr. Quach Linh's death, they divided up the fortune.

After that, the younger sisters and their families

moved away.

Have you ever heard from them since?

Rumor has it… that Mrs. Tham,

the youngest one,

moved to Nha Trang

and continued her partying lifestyle.

Eventually… she died from an overdose.

What about the other sister?

I heard… she has a hotel or a restaurant in Dalat.

Is this Mrs. Tham or Mrs. Loan?

It's Mrs. Loan.

It's been so long but she still looks the same.

Mrs. Loan has a son, right?

Little Bo.

If you were to see Bo now, would you be able to recognize him?

At that time, he was around 12-13 years old.

It's been decades since,

he must look so different now.

Do you know anything about the chamber down in the tunnels?

Erm…

Only people of the Quach family know about it.

Why didn't you tell me about it from the start?

Although I have Dad's surname,

I'm also part of the Quach family.

Because… I didn't think it was necessary.

How did you get down there?

I took the path under the stable.

But why does it lead back to the abandoned mansion?

Grandpa said there are many routes in and out the tunnel.

They served as different escape plans

and also distractions in case of intruders.

If those are the escape routes,

shouldn't they lead away from the mansion?

Actually…

there's a secret passage in the tunnel… but you have to know how to open it.

How, Mom? Where does that passage lead to?

It leads to another hidden tunnel system

which connects to the forest.

But don't go down there.

How can I not?

I'm sure…

I'm sure the treasure is down there.

It has to be.

What treasure are you talking about?

Everything down there was all used up.

Auntie Hong has spent more than 20 years searching for it but to no avail.

Auntie Hong found three gold bars inside a wall…

but she kept it from you.

Why don't you believe it?

How can I?

They tore that mansion apart and found nothing.

But I know things about the treasure…

that Auntie Hong doesn't.

Like what?

Perhaps Mr. Nam showed Thuy and Yen something down in the tunnels.

How… How did you know this?

Anyway, you must not go down there.

Why do you keep stopping me?

Or… are you hiding something from me?

What's in the past… should stay in the past.

But I'm as good as dead now.

The treasure is my only chance to survive.

If I fail,

the mafia will kill me…

Or I'll have to go to jail.

Mom. Show me how to open the secret passage.

Fine.

But… there's something you should know…

SECRET DOOR - TURN RIGHT 1,2,3

HIDDEN BUTTON TWO RIGHT AND HALF A TURN LEFT

One.

Two. Three.

Two right. Half a turn left.

HUMAN

GUO - APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS

EXIT - FOREST

Long time no see.

Uncle Nam.

Ms. Thuy.

Before you died,

you cursed this family.

To sit on the treasure…

but never get our hands on it.

You meant it literally, right Uncle Nam?

Who would have thought…

the gold was still hidden inside this abandoned tunnel.

Everything Vy saw led to this place.

What were you two trying to show her…

if not the treasure?

Where were you all evening?

Erm…

I went to check the tunnel again.

Check… where Mr. Nam pointed to?

I want to wrap this whole thing up as soon as possible.

Their family spirits have disturbed us too much.

If… it took you that long…

then you must have found something?

Let's go to sleep.

Why are you banging on the door at this hour?

I want to…

You're always in the mood.

I've spent my whole life on the street.

I had no family…

Nor anyone who appreciated me.

Then…

I met you.

In this life, you're the only who really cares, understands…

and protects me.

Ray.

Will you marry me?

Such a beautiful ring!

I…

I want to say yes…

but our future is still uncertain.

I'm sure I can take care of you.

I'll take responsibility for the rest of your life.

Ray.

Give me a chance

to love and care for you as your husband.

Our future won't be uncertain.

Is this money your savings?

This is the money…

I… kinda borrowed.

You told me before that you wanted to leave Scarlet Hill

and escape this miserable life with me.

So here. This is our first step.

That's right.

But I want to take my parents with me.

My dad is still locked up. I can't just leave.

Who did you borrow this money from?

From…

the guy who let me borrow it.

You stole it from Luu?

He's always been stingy with my salary.

So I just thought I'd balance out my finances.

Oh shit!

That way of thinking got my dad locked up!

At least try to be discreet if you're gonna steal something!

He'll definitely know it was you!

Then we can just run away. What's the big deal?

Is that how you're planning to take care of me?

A runaway suspect.

It's like pleading guilty to killing Chinh.

-That's true. -Return the money.

-We'll wait for another chance. -I'll drop it back into the safe.

What do you mean by "drop"?

You have to place it back exactly as before or else he'll get suspicious.

Forget it. I'll go with you to make sure.

How do you know the code?

During the Covid-19 wave, Luu had to wear a mask all the time.

So he couldn't unlock the phone using Face ID.

He had to use the passcode instead.

I saw it by chance…

and thought… that could also be the combination for this safe.

Right.

You did tell me that…

people often use the same password

for everything so it's easier to remember.

It worked.

MAP

Give me the phone.

This must be where the bodies are buried.

Obviously looks like humans!

But if you're gonna bury bodies,

why draw a map to mark its location?

That's true.

Or…

this is the map to the treasure?

I can't believe this!

Luu is actually into…

weed and crack now?

Shh.

He can't be a junkie.

What if…

this map is for the lost treasure.

The treasure?

-Whose? -The Quach family's.

A long time ago, there were rumours about it.

But… how could Luu know about it?

Maybe he heard it from Chinh?

So Chinh's death… has something to do with Luu?

That's right!

Luu killed Chinh…

to steal the treasure.

I knew it!

In Scarlet Hill, asides from hot chicks,

there ain't jack shit here. Why build a homestay?

I kept asking him why.

You mean…

All this construction was just an excuse…

to search for the gold?

Correct!

See how smart I am?

Look,

he is strapped for cash

but he insisted on coming here to build a homestay.

So… once we figure out the secret of this map,

we'll be able to prove my dad's innocence.

We can even get the treasure.

Our future…

after this…

is totally secured!

Hello.

I'm Bach, from the police.

From Scarlet Hill?

I'm sure Vy has already told you about it.

My second husband is American.

What's wrong with me taking his surname?

What about the fact that you went to Jami?

You bought the exact set of white pajamas that we were looking for.

It's important evidence to this homicide case.

And Luu is currently our prime suspect.

You can get straight to the point.

I'll give you any information you need for the investigation.

My daughter is innocent.

When did Vy and Luu meet?

It was around…

Ah, mid-September last year.

Are you sure that was the first time they met?

It was the peak of rainy season.

It was raining the whole week,

most shops were pretty empty.

Luu came in for a drink and took shelter from the rain.

Gradually, he became a regular and came here everyday.

If Luu is the culprit,

you will be his accomplice.

I… I don't know anything.

I just went to buy it because he asked me to.

But… my son can't be a murderer.

I only said ''if''.

But sometimes a mix up during the investigation

can also turn that "if"… into "reality".

What was Vy's initial impression of Luu?

Vy told me that she wanted to keep her distance.

It was partly because of her complex.

But mostly it was because she had lost all trust in men.

But Luu was persistent and sincere.

Eventually, Vy was moved by him.

I've never seen anyone as caring as Luu.

It must have put your mind at rest.

If I had… a single 30-year-old daughter…

I would probably be restless.

Don't you sell my daughter short!

She could be only 28 or 29, you know.

What do mean by ''she could be 28 or 29''?

You're her mom, shouldn't you know her age?

Since 1997, not long after your father's death,

you haven't been

back there?

Why?

That place is tied to my troubled past,

-I don't want to remember it. -What about Luu?

He's the same as me.

For over 20 years, he hadn't been back to Scarlet Hill.

Early last year, he asked me…

about the Quach family's fortune in Scarlet Hill.

There must be some gold left.

They couldn't possibly have spent it all.

What about the three gold bars hidden inside the wall?

Which three gold bars?

So they kept it from you too.

No wonder.

I heard your Auntie Hong wrecked the family's mansion.

I just thought she got drunk and acted up again.

The treasure must still be somewhere…

How did Nam and Thuy leave?

There's no treasure.

Your Auntie Hong has spent decades searching for it everywhere.

Don't listen to the rumors

-and leave your life to wither like hers. -It's still better than to drop dead!

All of my hospitality real estate projects

were crushed by the pandemic.

I borrowed money from the mafia.

The treasure is my only way to survive..

Weren't the properties I gave you enough for collateral?

This is my last resort.

So the treasure exists?

Mrs. Loan said the last time Luu mentioned this

was when he was looking for the old album.

The old album?

It seems Luu wanted to track down

the people who used to live at the Quach's mansion.

Probably to collect more information.

What about Nam and Thuy?

She was pretty vague about it.

They were afraid of getting caught so they ran off with their daughter.

By the way…

do you remember the girl called Yen?

The one that Truc often mentioned?

I put out an order to track down Nam and his family.

It might be our key to uncover Luu's plan.

Got it, Uncle.

I'm also following another lead.

It might seem unrelated but I got a strange feeling about it.

Good job. Strange means it's probably related!

Meet me at the station later.

Okay!

You'll get the official letter soon.

In the meantime, can I take photos of the document?

Sorry. It's part of our new policy to protect personal information.

When we get the official letter,

I'll send you a scanned copy through email.

That's okay. I can wait.

Oh right.

Please sign here. It's for our record.

-Please put down the date too. -Okay.

MR. BACH - 7TH OCTOBER, 2021

Here you go.

Sister. Can I borrow the document for a bit?

TRAN HOANG LUU ID CARD

So this man has been here before to look at the file?

Hello?

Another person's gone missing at Scarlett Hill.

I can't find Van anywhere.

She exercises in the yard every morning.

Even after her husband died.

Out to look for a new husband, remember?

But I couldn't find her anywhere since this morning.

I'm sure… she ran away!

Ran away? Thank you.

The number you have dialed is not available

-I'll go over to Mrs. Hong's house. -Okay.

-You go over to Luu-Vy's cabin. -Okay.

Everyone else, take the dogs and search around.

The last time I saw Van?

Probably…

at noontime yesterday.

When she was outside arguing with Vy.

And after that?

Well…

she said she was headed to the police station

to ask you guys about something.

‎INSPIRED BY THE NOVEL ‎SCARLET HILL BY THE AUTHOR DI LI