Original subtitles

ALL CHARACTERS, PLACES, AND EVENTS IN THIS WORK ARE FICTITIOUS

EPISODE 1: J, THE ARCHITECT RECRUITMENT AND BETRAYAL

2013, INCHEON

(Foreign language)

(Foreign language)

(Foreign language)

(Foreign language)

(Foreign language)

Yes, I know.

The money's coming in.

Auntie, are you sick?

Why do you look so down today?

Do I?

That can't be right.

All right! I win!

About that counterfeit yuan you make.

I hear it's so precise, it caused a stir in China.

People always know when you get new stock.

With material prices going up, I barely break even.

Let's just go with a 10% commission today.

Soo-hyun.

You didn't learn that on your own, did you?

I mean, the counterfeiting techniques.

Yang Dosa taught you, right?

- Kind of... - No.

Your mascara smudged.

I'm not even wearing makeup.

Auntie, let me use the restroom.

Get her!

Shoot.

Stop!

- Move! - Move aside!

Hey! Grab her!

She's not here?

Over there.

Let me go. Who are you?

- There she is. - The foreigner.

- Come here! - Stop right there!

Stop.

INN AND SAUNA

Are you crazy? Where are we going?

You'll get caught eventually.

Stop imagining weird scenarios and come with me.

- Wait. - Hurry.

Give us a room.

Your Korean is really good.

We're in a hurry!

All right, you lovebirds.

The most romantic room is...

Faster.

Go on up.

The guys after you came into the inn.

- Change into these clothes. - What?

Where did you even get these?

Is that your concern right now?

Who are you?

Who the heck are you?

Me?

The guy who saved you.

If you don't trust me

you're free to handle everything alone.

I won't stop you.

You're a real cop, right?

People keep posing as others these days.

I'm a detective from Seoul's Major Crimes Unit.

Check my badge.

Fine.

- Lieutenant... - What are you doing?

You can't bust down the door and arrest them.

- Seriously. - Come on.

The spare key for Room 302...

- Where did I put it? - Hurry.

Act natural. Look at me with loving eyes.

Why do they always do it outside the room?

So who exactly are you?

I think you mean to say, "Thank you."

I hadn't sprinted at full speed for a long time, and I'm starving.

Is there any good place for hangover soup nearby?

Are you joking right now?

After what I just did for you

I deserve at least a meal.

Don't I?

You drive a truck pretty well, too.

Is it the one wearing them

or the clothes I picked, that look good?

You still haven't told me who you were.

Well, why were you running from the police?

You must have had a reason.

Everyone is

faced with unexpected situations.

I just got lucky

and got involved with you.

Haven't we met before, though?

Are you hitting on me right now?

Please.

Why would I even bother?

How far are we going for food?

That was good.

What? Are you done already?

Maybe I ran too much. I lost my appetite.

Come to think of it...

one bowl of soup isn't enough for what I did today.

Name, Han Soo-hyun.

Born at 1887-8, Sui-dong, Seoul.

Your mom ran away because she couldn't handle

your dad's long illness.

At the age of eight

you moved to a shantytown in Poi-dong, Seoul.

Your dad died when you were 12.

Who are you?

It's extremely high-quality counterfeit yuan

with perfect designs, precise security features

flawless holograms, and great paper stock.

Rumor has it in Macau that it's spreading through China.

So

I tracked down your identity.

After coming to Korea, I watched you for two weeks.

To see if you were good enough to work with me.

In other words, I'm going to scout you

and find out if you're worth working with

or not.

You got the wrong person.

At the age of 18, you became a family

with Yang Cheol-jin by chance

also known as Yang Dosa, a legendary counterfeiter

and his daughter Yeon.

You treat them more than family.

To pay off Yang Dosa's debts

you started making counterfeit bills and distributing them.

Thanks to that

I discovered someone with real talent who can make me money.

Who the hell are you?

Big or small

you've already stepped into the crime world.

For a family not related by blood.

- Don't talk about them like that. - It must have taken you courage.

You might as well go big once and get out.

An architect can hand you a perfect blueprint

but if the technician refuses, we walk away.

That's the rule in this line of work.

But etiquette says you at least hear the plan.

So?

Are you ready to listen?

Counterfeit 100-dollar bills.

I just need 300,000 of them.

Then I'll swap 30 million dollars in counterfeits for real US dollars.

That's...

roughly 30 billion won.

And we split it 50-50.

Not everyone gets to be a criminal.

Just take a big score once and walk away.

Pay off the debts of Yang Dosa

who you love so much

and live happily.

Eat whatever you want.

Buy whatever you want.

Dad! Soo-hyun! Let's eat!

What are they doing?

Dad, the noodles are getting soggy.

Why isn't anyone answering?

Thirty million dollars in counterfeits?

Even you selling paintings overseas was nerve-wracking enough.

This is way too big.

How could you trust him to jump at that offer?

Let's at least hear him out.

We can walk away from this life

and start fresh.

And then what?

Who's going to pay for your medicine and surgery?

You need that surgery this year, or you might lose your leg.

How am I supposed to just watch that happen?

This isn't worth your future.

What about the money you lost to a scam

after taking loans to start a fishing-boat rental?

Forget the principal.

You're adding 100 million won in interest every year.

Seriously.

Who wants ramyeon?

Yeon does.

- Soo-hyun? Dad? - Yes.

- Sure. - Come on.

The noodles are getting soggy.

Ta-da!

That looks delicious.

Let's eat.

Isn't it amazing?

Indeed.

Did you cook just enough for each of us?

- Yes. - I told you to make

a double portion if you're going to make it this good!

Late-night ramyeon is the best!

Let's see.

All right.

I barely touched mine, and you already took half.

I served myself too much. There's only one bite left now.

- Seriously. - Eat up.

- Sure. - Eat.

Should I cook more?

- Cook six packs. Put the water on. - Six?

Hey, Yeon.

I told you I'd smash your computer if you kept doing that.

Hackers are like mountaineers risking their necks

for the thrill of reaching the top. It's about the achievement.

I'm not stealing info or money. What's the big deal?

Seriously.

Just one minute. No, two minutes.

If I pull this off

I'll be the youngest hacker to breach the US Department of Defense.

Hey!

Fine.

Do that again, and I'm smashing it.

Okay.

Not everyone gets to be a criminal.

Just take a big score once and walk away.

Ms. Han Soo-hyun?

Excuse me?

Hey!

Hey!

- Wait! - Come on.

Oh, man.

I told you to stop.

Oh, my heart.

Take your earbuds out when someone's calling you.

Stop messing with me and go.

I am going.

Here, take this.

If you want to hear the rest of the architect's plan

come at 2 p.m. today. From J.

Let's at least hear his briefing.

You know I'm gullible.

That's how I always get scammed.

I'm here with you. What are you worried about?

Forget it.

Man, you live rough.

Houses like this still exist?

Hello, sir.

- What's this? - It's seed money.

But we haven't even agreed yet.

To print 300,000 100-dollar bills, you'll need tons of materials

and a bigger printing machine.

Here.

All in 50,000-won notes.

This way.

This is the count room.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars move through daily

so swapping out 40,000 dollars a day won't leave a trace.

It's a foreigners-only casino

so I'll be using disguises.

So will Soo-hyun.

Me too?

GAMING ROOM

I thought you were only a bold, young man

but you're surprisingly thorough.

What is your name?

Our boss's name is a company secret.

NORTH KOREAN DEFECTOR

SPECIALIZING IN SUPERNOTE PRINTING KKANGSOONI

I go by J.

Please call me that from now on.

CRIME ARCHITECT J

J?

Shall we have some fun?

MASTER BANKNOTE ARTIST YANG DOSA

YANG DOSA'S SOLE SUCCESSOR HAN SOO-HYUN

Let's do it!

Not bad at all.

It looks good.

2013

2016

Good work.

You said you had something to say.

Do you want to join me

for hangover soup?

The 30 million dollars are laundered into real cash.

And you have something to say.

Why? Are you planning to disappear?

That's nonsense.

You only disappear if you're gone forever.

Someday

I'll show up in front of you again.

When you do

I'll be in a different line of work.

An architect like you.

Yang Dosa's surgery went great

and you made plenty of money.

You really want to keep your foot in this world?

There's a thrill to it.

And the more you make, the more you want.

It's kind of addictive.

You're not cut out to be an architect.

- Why not? - You've got a nasty temper.

You...

How are you going to control others when you can't control your emotions?

See?

It's written all over your face.

Jeez, I swear I'll bite you.

Three years flew by, like a dream.

Guess our time together felt like a dream to you.

You're not addicted to the work.

You're addicted to me.

When you asked me to work with you in the beginning

I wanted to punch you in the face.

Why does this feel so bittersweet?

Once you understand someone's emotions...

you can predict what they'll do next.

Especially you.

You're way too easy to read.

That's why

you're better suited as a technician.

Seriously.

You can get conned, but you could never con anyone.

I put some thought into picking it.

I hope you like it.

Is this a parting gift?

Do you want to come with me?

Living with Mr. Yang and Yeon

makes me happy.

Haven't you seen me somewhere before?

Why do you keep asking that?

I don't know.

You just look familiar.

A con artist's life

is all fake.

The only real moments are when you stab someone in the back.

We live lies like they're real.

So don't trust me too much.

Okay?

MR. YANG

Hey, Mr. Yang.

He says they'll let us walk

if we bring the money.

Cops don't make calls like that.

Don't believe a word he says.

I'm almost there.

Do not hand over the money. I'm on my way.

It's solid intel.

They printed 300,000 fake bills there

and cleaned them through the casino.

You punk.

Stop yapping. Just go and check!

It's a sensitive case, so the investigation was planned.

What the fuck?

We busted our asses on this case, and now you're pulling the plug?

I am not giving up on this, you sons of bitches. You hear me?

Dad!

- Yeon! - Dad!

Yeon.

- Are you okay? - Soo-hyun.

- Are you hurt? - Dad's inside.

Get out of here.

Stay outside.

Go as far as you can.

Watch out.

J?

Mr. Yang.

Mr. Yang.

Mr. Yang.

Wake up, Mr. Yang.

Stop right there!

Let go.

Let go of me!

You're in early.

- You were here all night? - Pretty much.

What's going on?

Good morning, sir.

Did you all stay up?

No, I just came in early.

My goodness.

Oh, boy.

Hey.

This is Jang Joong-hyuk from Incheon Jung-gu Police Station.

INCHEON JUNG-GU POLICE STATION, CHIEF OF NARCOTICS TEAM

JANG JOONG-HYUK

- How did you get this number? - What do you mean, "How"?

Your buddy Charles ratted you out.

- Darn it. - "Darn it?"

You bastard.

Hey.

Make a lunch reservation for noon today.

You're paying, since you just cussed at me.

You know I love multi-level fraud investigations.

Charles gave me 8 names, so you bring me 16. Got it?

Do that, and I'll cut you loose.

I'm busy, so I'll hang up.

Oh, man.

Oh, boy.

Oh, that feels good.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

- Good work. - Good work.

YANG CHEOL-JIN

Yang Dosa, the greatest banknote designer.

HAN SOO-HYUN

And

his only apprentice

Han Soo-hyun.

That's you.

HEAD OF NIS FINANCIAL CRIME TEAM CHA KI-TAE

You spent one year printing 300,000 counterfeit 100-dollar bills.

And another two years working undercover

in the casino's count room to swap them for real cash.

You pulled it off spectacularly.

Just a day after you succeeded

you lost everything.

Who took the 30 million dollars?

If it weren't for you

I would have

killed that guy with my own hands.

That man in the gas mask?

Yes.

He blew up the place to burn evidence and ran off with the money.

That bastard.

He's the one who killed Mr. Yang.

Tell us who he is and where we can find him.

We'll take him down for you.

He said

he lived abroad most of his life.

All I know...

is his nickname, J.

J?

Did you just say J?

The one the FBI, Interpol

and even the Chinese police have been after for five years?

I didn't know he was that famous.

He only said...

he was a top-tier crime architect in the industry.

We had J right in front of us.

2021, SEOUL

Move!

Get out of the way!

Son of a bitch.

Subtitles by Ho Young Yun