Original subtitles

Autumn of 1953, Myeongdong

Oriental Teahouse

That's what I'm saying.

The suicide of an artist is a gallant thing.

Even though they starve

they find bliss in a cup of coffee.

People who call themselves artists

seem to survive on air

in the realm between life and death.

That's the reality.

Why would you try to find bliss in coffee?

Baudelaire did that

and so did... who was it?

Who was it now...

Kim Kyo-won!

Kim Kyo-won also found bliss

and gallantly killed himself.

They did it, so we should be able to do it too.

What do you think of suicide?

You're going on about suicide again.

You shouldn't joke about death like that.

I wasn't joking.

They didn't kill themselves.

They both died of illness.

And Kim Kyo-won tried

until the very end to write his memoir.

He never got to finish it though.

He was sick and homeless

so it was skewed by the rumours going around.

How could you not know

about your fellow littérateur, Bong-woo?

It was a mosquito.

A mosquito that can't get its seasons straight.

I didn't know

there was such a sweet story behind it.

It's the hidden tragic death of

one of the most influential poets of our time.

Ouch!

Move aside.

Hey, doesn't this sound pretty cool?

It's cool?

What if I die trying to be cool?

Who will take care of my wife and kids?

It's not like I haven't joked

about this before.

Is something going on with you?

You don't seem too well.

It's quite chilly today, isn't it?

It seems to be getting cold.

I know, right?

Excuse me.

Jang Seon-hwa, co-owner of teahouse

Every rose has its thorn.

Oh Haeng-chul, poet

How could a painter be so slow?

Hey, are you really not going to tell me?

You were fine this morning.

When did you hurt your head?

I didn't get hurt.

Then what is it?

Kim Hyuk-soo, poet

It's nothing.

What's up with you? You don't smoke.

You do now?

Lee Ki-seob, painter

What? You want to draw?

What are you drawing?

Noh Seok-hyun, co-owner of teahouse

She's so charismatic.

If she had a knife

this would be a slaughterhouse.

How did he get such a rose with that face?

You shouldn't call her husband a thorn...

Hey, I crossed the 38th parallel

putting my life on the line.

What would I be afraid of?

If you couldn't live with

a beautiful rose like that

what would be the point of living?

What? Are you waiting for someone?

No, I'm just...

It's not like I knew about it.

I didn't know Kim Kyo-won was sick.

You didn't know either, right?

Park In-seong, painter

Welcome...

Gosh, you reek.

Why did you drink so much?

You know, these days

you have to be famous

to have rumours about you, you know?

- That's true. - That's what I mean.

Woo Byung-hong, painter

It's not worth killing yourself

if you miss your timing.

It was Baek Doo-hwan!

Gosh, I finally remember now.

Listen, I heard this at a bar.

That guy got murdered last night.

Moon Bong-woo, poet

The 12th Suspect

This is Oriental Teahouse.

Hello?

Is this Oriental Teahouse?

Yes, this is Oriental Teahouse.

Hello?

Hello...

Welcome. This way, please.

Would you like me to take your hat?

Sure. Thank you.

What would you like?

- Coffee? - Yes.

Don't you know the poet, Baek Doo-hwan?

He always sat by himself

trying so hard to look cool.

He was that solitary poet.

So, where did he get killed?

Hey, I didn't see you there.

I came here after you went to the bar.

So, where was Baek Doo-hwan killed?

They say it happened on the mountain nearby.

Namsan?

Are you sure you heard it right?

Of course. I definitely did.

They said it was Namsan.

Who killed him?

Did they say who it was?

Why did he get killed?

Hey, if the killer had been caught

it would've caused a stir by now.

I guess you're right.

Are you sure it was murder?

If it was at Namsan

he could've lost his footing and fell.

It could've been an accident.

Tell us, Mr Woo.

Are you sure he was murdered?

Why are the two of you acting this way?

Oh my.

Do you know something I don't?

No.

I was just curious since he was someone I know.

That's true.

He was an acquaintance...

Wait.

Just because I go around drinking

doesn't mean

I would lie about someone's death.

What's with him?

What's wrong, Mr Oh? What's so funny?

It's nothing.

It's just funny to me.

That man was always so hateful and ignorant.

In the end, he died so early.

He wrote such bad poems

and now he died a ridiculous death.

Coffee.

Shin Yoon-chi, professor

Excuse me. Here's your coffee.

Yes. Thank you.

Excuse me.

Did you say it happened at Namsan?

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt.

I am...

Master Sergeant Kim Ki-chae

from the Special Ops Unit.

I'm in charge of the investigation

for that Namsan incident.

As you've said, it is indeed a murder case

and the victim was the poet, Baek Doo-hwan.

Oh, my.

I could tell that you weren't one of us.

See? I told you I don't lie.

I heard the victim came here often.

Only a littérateur or an artist

would be here enjoying coffee

at this time of the day. Baek also...

Littérateurs and artists don't live

any differently from everyone else.

Everyone here

is having a hard time after the war

so don't be mistaken.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way.

If my words have offended you

I apologise.

You're wrong to have said that, Mr Soldier.

But this is such great timing!

I actually heard about it at the bar

and was talking about it just now.

When you come here, you can interact

with littérateurs and painters.

I know some of them too.

- But Baek was... - I'm sorry, sir.

Please continue.

Baek Doo-hwan was a quiet man.

He seldom talked to anyone.

To be honest, I didn't like him that much.

Are you sure he was murdered?

Well, I mean...

it could've been an accident or something.

Maybe he lost his footing and fell.

That happens every now and then.

That's a reasonable question to ask

given he was found dead in the mountain.

But...

Baek Doo-hwan was shot to death.

It hasn't been long since liberation

and public safety is still at risk

but it's not a common occurrence.

Dying by suicide is gallant

but getting shot is also pretty gallant.

Don't you think?

Are you being serious right now?

He was murdered.

It's a murder case.

Is the coffee always this bitter?

Pardon me? One moment, please.

Sorry about that. Here's some sugar.

It's better now. Nice and sweet.

Ma'am, was Baek a regular here?

Well, yes...

He came here once or twice a week.

If he was only here once or twice a week

why was he considered a regular?

He needs to come here daily

to be considered a regular.

I guess he was just a frequent visitor then.

Excuse me.

Did you ever notice anyone with him

or anything else unusual about him?

I'm not sure.

He always came alone

and drank his coffee quietly.

He never talked to anyone else.

Excuse me.

Publisher... no, I mean...

I forgot I have a meeting

at the newspaper company.

May I use your phone for a bit?

I just remember my meeting is tomorrow.

I was mistaken.

Does anyone else know anything about Baek?

- Anything is fine. - Right.

I read this a while ago

and thought it was a nice poem.

Turns out it was by Baek.

It's called Wind.

Wind?

The wind that blows?

Why don't you recite it to us?

Would you?

OK.

Wind by Baek Doo-hwan.

Like a reed swaying in the wind

I waver uncontrollably.

As I waver uncontrollably from the wind

I rebuke the greenfinch flying about.

The cold wisp of wind penetrates deep within

and it reminds me I'm a reed.

The reeds dance in unison telling me

to rip my heart out of the stem.

The wind sneers at me, toying with me.

I'm ashamed that I cannot break my own stem.

That sounds profound.

It sounds like a nice poem.

How pretentious.

It's just lame and tacky.

You seem to know Baek quite well.

No. We've only said hello a few times.

Actually, I'm also a poet.

My name is Kim Hyuk-soo.

That man over there is Lee Ki-seob.

He's a painter and a good friend of mine.

We're not famous or anything though.

I see. Thank you for the information.

May I have that for reference?

Wait a minute.

Now that I think about it...

Hello. I heard you're a poet.

I'm Jang Hyuk.

What did the two of you talk about?

He was a fellow littérateur

so I approached him out of curiosity.

But despite all my attempts

to start a conversation

he got annoyed and ignored me.

The two of you had no prior interaction?

No, not really.

I don't know who called him a solitary poet.

He was just a lame poet

who thought too highly of himself.

Why would you want to interact

with a guy like him?

You know, there are people like him

among the littérateurs.

They don't like it when someone tries

to barge into their own little world.

They also get really sensitive

when they're planning out their work.

Right. Didn't you see Baek all drunk

a few days ago?

Well... yes, I did.

Indeed. I did see him.

My memory is pretty hazy

because I was drunk too.

But he seemed rather jumpy that night.

Why did you think that?

Well, he was a shifty-looking man.

He might have done something bad for all I know.

You can tell a bad seed just by looking.

It shows on their faces.

You should be more careful with your words.

Why are you so harsh towards a fellow poet?

What did you just say?

Hey, how dare you take that tone with me!

Who do you think you are, punk?

You should be sympathetic

towards fellows poets.

What do you think you're doing?

Stop it, Jang Hyuk.

Are you jealous of him?

Hey, what did you just say?

What? I'm jealous?

- You freaking... - Hey, stop it.

Hey, punk.

Maybe you have something to do with his death!

Just admit it.

You hated Baek Doo-hwan

for being a better poet than you.

- Didn't you? - What?

I told you it's my turn this time.

This isn't about taking turns.

Come on.

I've given in so many times already.

- We're looking for quality... - What?

What did you say? Quality?

Are you guys in a place

to be picky about quality?

- But Mr Baek has... - What?

- Who? - Well, Mr Baek.

Mr Baek?

Are you talking about Baek Doo-hwan?

What I meant to say is...

Bloody hell.

Are you suspicious of me?

You little punk, come here!

You punk. You're dead meat today!

Sit. Calm down.

You've got to be kidding me.

- That punk. - What's wrong with you?

- Calm down. - Sit.

Gosh. Sit down.

Here.

You know how prideful littérateurs are.

You're acting so strange today.

Bloody hell!

That's not what I saw that night.

I didn't kill him!

Memories aren't always the most reliable.

They are usually skewed in our favour...

but lying outright is a different thing.

Well...

I didn't want to be seen as a suspect.

I really didn't kill him!

It's true that I didn't like him.

I hated him for getting

more recognition than I did.

My anger got the better of me.

No interaction with Baek Doo-hwan

Choi Yoo-jung.

Do you know who she is?

She's an elite who studied in France

when she was young.

She's known for being a woman

with modern viewpoints.

This was on my front door.

What do you guys think of

Baek and Choi Yoo-jung's relationship?

What if the two were together at the time?

No way. Why would they be together?

He's so much older than her.

And Yoo-jung has standards.

Don't you think so, Madam Jang?

Well... I'm not sure.

I've never seen them together before.

Are you talking about Choi Yoo-jung

from Ewha Woman's University?

You know something?

I guess.

I heard he was seeing her

outside of his marriage.

No way.

That's not true.

I'm Choi Yoo-jung's Korean literature professor.

I've warned them a few times

after finding out about their relationship.

The school is strict about this sort of thing.

They could've gotten expelled...

Stop lying. It wasn't like that...

Calm down.

So, you warned them

after finding out about it?

She's one of my favourite students.

She's an excellent writer.

She has the makings of a great littérateur.

Everyone likes Yoo-jung.

She's bright and upbeat.

She would buy us drinks too.

Hey, are you OK?

My hair was sticking out on the side

so I was trying to flatten it.

Since when did you care about your looks?

I saw Yoo-jung at Jeongdong-gil once.

She squealed and came running over

with her arms wide open and hugged me.

I was flustered and didn't know what to do

because people were staring at us.

Yoo-jung is a cool and open-minded woman.

Then I guess it's no surprise that

Baek Doo-hwan fell for her charms.

So, she is one of your favourite students

and a very charming woman that you all love.

If you're suspicious of Yoo-jung

I believe you're mistaken.

Yoo-jung is not the kind of woman

who would kill anyone.

That's right.

Yoo-jung would never do such a thing.

Isn't that right, Madam Jang?

Yes, that's right.

Why were you asking about Yoo-jung?

Did something happen to her?

I merely asked about her relationship with Baek

but you guys jumped to her defence right away.

I never even said she was the culprit.

Why are you so sure she's a suspect?

Well...

The phone line is disconnected

You kept asking about their relationship

implying that they were together at the time.

Yoo-jung...

would never do such a thing.

So I believe there's no way

she would have killed Baek Doo-hwan.

I see.

Choi Yoo-jung was killed on the scene too.

Are you certain?

Unfortunately, I am.

By the way, the school has been notified.

I was supposed to see Yoo-jung today.

Someone claiming to be her acquaintance

told me I had to meet her here today.

Why are you only telling us that now?

Before telling you about her death

I had to find out

what kind of person Baek Doo-hwan was.

I'm sorry if you're upset.

You're sorry? Are you that heartless?

Don't you feel anything about her death?

- Ki-seob... - Answer me!

- That's enough. - Answer me!

Enough.

I saw something that might be important.

Last night...

I live at Chungmuro 2-ga

so I was walking past the Donghwa Mall.

I saw some people heading towards Namsan.

I took a closer look

and it was a couple walking together.

I figured they were on a date.

What else would they be doing

at that time of the night?

All of a sudden, someone bumped into me.

It was two drunk American soldiers.

They were following the couple.

They were headed in the Namsan direction too.

My wife was waiting for me at home

so I hurried home

without giving it another thought.

But now that I think about it

I think I witnessed something important.

So, you're suspicious of the American soldiers?

They were there at the same time.

They also headed in the Namsan direction.

Can you remember their faces

or any physical traits they had?

Hard to say.

I only saw them from the back.

It was real dark and I was drunk.

But I'm certain it was a man and a woman.

So, you didn't actually see

the two people getting killed.

Well, I guess.

If I did, I would've called the police.

But unfortunately

the soldiers weren't the culprits.

They were actually the first ones

to come across the dead victims

and call the police.

You never know though.

They can still be the culprits...

That's true.

That is definitely a possibility.

They could've gotten into an argument

with the drunk soldiers

or after seeing the affectionate couple

they could've shot them in a drunken stupor.

They could've been stressed by the war

and they were far away from home.

Those are plausible explanations.

Are you saying

it's OK to kill someone if you're stressed?

What nonsense.

I'm not saying that it's OK to kill someone.

They're risking their lives in another country

and the after-effects of it

may lead to such behaviour.

As someone who experienced war myself

I find that plausible.

Plausible?

What does risking your life in war

have anything to do with this?

I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way.

If you were unsettled by that, I apologise.

This played a crucial part

in proving the soldiers' innocence.

Neither our soldiers

nor the US soldiers use this.

It's the Tokarev TT-33.

It was made in the Soviet Union.

It was found on the scene of the crime.

Thank you for the important information.

Your eyewitness testimony

has provided you with an alibi.

Can you tell me what you did

and where you were last night?

What?

Well, we...

- After closing up, we went home... - Hey.

Are you suspicious of us?

Asking for everyone's alibi

is part of the procedure.

It's for the investigation

so we ask for your cooperation.

We went home right away

after closing up last night.

We live on the floor right above.

He can barely go out because of his leg.

Also, we were exhausted

because we work long days

so we went to sleep soon after.

I see.

I heard this place has been running since 1949.

Yes.

You managed

to keep it running during the war somehow.

We fought all sorts of hardships.

I almost died a few times during war too.

All right.

So the two of you were at home last night.

Oh, yes.

You've never seen that before, have you?

No.

I figure as much. Thank you.

Can each of you

you tell me where you were

and what you did last night?

Sir?

Well...

So, I was...

at my friend's house.

We disassembled a cannonball

late into the night.

A cannonball?

Well... yes.

You see...

my work suddenly... I had no choice.

What kind of work do you do?

I'm a writer.

The newspaper company I was with

until recently...

told me to quit all of a sudden.

I don't get it.

So why are you messing with cannonballs?

Gosh, come on.

He didn't quit. He got fired.

To be honest, it's a little odd.

Why would a writer mess with cannonballs

and disassemble them?

Why are you being like that, Byung-hong?

It's not like he's a stranger to us.

The friend I was with said

he had a Japanese cannonball

from before the liberation.

He wanted to disassemble it and sell it.

We can't let our kids starve.

Which newspaper did you work for?

It was Dongyang Daily.

Dongyang Daily...

Are you the one who wrote The Red Rain?

Yes.

Yes, I'm the author.

So, you're that Jang Hyuk.

I loved reading your work

until you suddenly stopped.

I wondered what had happened to you.

You said earlier

that you met Choi Yoo-jung at Jeongdong-gil.

Did you meet often?

Well...

Yoo-jung sometimes

showed me the things she wrote.

I gave her some advice.

We only talked about literature.

There wasn't anything more than that.

How would you prove that?

I ask the questions and I will judge accordingly.

And, sir

remember that you're a suspect.

Everyone here is a suspect

so please mind what you say.

Have you seen that before?

No, it's my first time seeing it.

Do you know of anyone who would have one?

Any guesses who the gun's owner might be?

No.

Sir, you spoke earlier, right?

What's your name?

I'm Moon Bong-woo.

I'm a poet...

and it's my first time seeing that as well.

It's my first time seeing that too.

I was at a bar last night...

and my name is Woo Byung-hong.

I'm a painter.

Gosh, I was so drunk last night.

I was with him.

Right?

I'm Oh Haeng-chul.

I'm a poet.

We drank at a bar

in Chungmuro 5-ga late into the night.

He was so drunk

he crashed at my place for the night.

When I woke up in the morning

he had already left.

So...

I don't recognise that gun.

I've never seen it before.

Haeng-chul, you know I don't get hangovers.

Anyway, this morning, I drank some coffee.

In the afternoon, I went to the bar there

and ran into my friends, so we drank a bit.

People gathered and...

You heard about

Baek's death at the bar, right?

Yes, I heard about it at the bar.

It was at the bar over there.

How very odd.

Baek's death hasn't been made public yet.

Even the reporters don't know about it.

That's not true!

The people at the next table

were talking about it.

I heard it with my own two ears.

I'm serious!

Gosh, please believe me!

I have really good hearing.

I don't even like Namsan.

I've never even talked to Baek Doo-hwan

nor held hands with Yoo-jung!

I swear!

Very well.

We will look into your statement.

Sir?

I'm Park In-seong, a painter.

My illustration for the newspaper was due

so I stayed home all day yesterday.

By any chance...

is your illustration

for Goryeo Newspaper's Coarse Liquor?

Yes, that's right.

Have you recently met up with Choi Yoo-jung

or heard anything about Baek Doo-hwan?

No. I haven't met up with Yoo-jung recently.

You liar.

You're totally lying.

You met up with her three days ago.

In-seong!

What's the matter?

No, it's nothing.

What are you talking about?

We've already talked about it.

I don't want you to get involved in it.

You shouldn't be saying that to me.

Sorry.

Yoo-jung.

I'm sure you were quite close

to Choi Yoo-jung.

Well, we're from the same hometown

so we did meet up occasionally.

You saw her just three days ago.

It slipped my mind. I'm sorry.

Not many people know French.

Well, t-that...

French missionaries visited my village

and I got to study abroad.

You're from the same hometown as her

and even studied in France together.

Sounds like the two of you were quite close.

The two of you were by yourselves

in a foreign land.

I wouldn't be surprised if you two

developed feelings for each other.

We grew up together in the same village.

I only saw her as a friend.

Is that so?

A man and a woman united in their loneliness

in a faraway country.

You never know a person's true feelings.

We don't even trust ourselves at times.

Either way, you had a close relationship

with the charming Yoo-jung

and someone was jealous of it.

That's what I think.

You're here to meet with Yoo-jung, aren't you?

Well...

Yoo-jung left a note at his door...

You must've liked Yoo-jung a lot.

When one-sided love turns into jealousy

it can turn a man violent.

Hey!

I think you're taking it too far.

I guarantee that he'd never do such a thing.

And also

the two of us were in Incheon yesterday.

We stopped by my uncle's place too.

We were only back in Seoul this morning.

He said he had to be here today.

When it comes to matters

between a man and a woman

there's this moment

when affection turns into obsession.

But men tend to make the same mistake.

They convince themselves that it's love.

And sometimes those uncontrolled feelings

can lead to a wrongful action.

The woman you love is seeing another man

but that man only sees her as a plaything.

How would it feel to witness that?

Pure fury?

And if that fury were to get out of hand?

You would want to kill them.

You're making baseless assumptions.

Is that your idea of an investigation?

I'm making deductions

based on various possibilities.

Reasonable doubt is the seed

from which an investigation sprouts.

The incident happened last night.

It hasn't even been a day, but it looks like...

you already know a lot.

You've even narrowed it down

to this very place and the people here.

And isn't this clearly a civil case?

Why is the military investigating this case?

You should've asked Yoo-jung

to meet you at home instead.

No?

Was Yoo-jung the one who chose this place?

Either way, clandestine meetings

is your forte, isn't it?

Despite the risk

you even had secret meetings at home

with a North Korean soldier.

A North Korean... soldier?

What are you talking about all of a sudden?

- What in the... - I'm Master Sergeant

Kim Ki-chae from the Special Ops Unit.

Special Ops Unit

Responsible for arresting communists and spies.

Investigating and suppressing

anti-government and political forces.

Your neighbours said that

when the puppet army occupied Seoul

you were with their army.

It was my cousin.

He lives in Pyongyang.

Meeting with enemy soldiers at home

during the war causes misunderstandings.

It wasn't like that.

We were just having a meal together

for the first time in a while.

It was three years ago.

We don't keep in touch anymore.

I don't even know if he's alive.

Please don't get the wrong idea.

He isn't anything like that.

And also, how is that relevant to this case?

It matters from here on out.

I'm just getting started.

The existence of communists

is a great misfortune to this country

and also a danger.

I'm not a communist!

I didn't have any other intentions.

We were just catching up over a meal.

We only talked about our childhood.

I don't know about anything else.

I could tell from your face

that the phone wasn't working.

There must be a whirlwind of thoughts

going through your mind right now.

I'll give you some time to sort them out.

Where were we?

Right.

We have made

way too many sacrifices in this war.

Don't you agree?

What are you doing right now?

Why?

Why are you doing this?

Am I wrong, Lee Ki-seob?

Lying must be a habit for communists.

It's really difficult to make them confess.

Who are you?

What are you doing here?

Meet me at the teahouse tomorrow, Yoo Jung.

I have a lot of things to discuss with you

so you can hold tight for a bit.

The story you made up for the flyer

when the puppet army occupied Seoul

was pretty good.

I don't know what you're talking about.

I don't know anything about this.

I think you're mistaken.

This...

I...

I had no choice.

If I didn't cooperate

they said they'd kill my wife and daughter.

It's true.

I'm not a communist.

I just did as I was told.

I just wanted to live.

I wanted to live. I had no choice.

Please believe me.

Right.

This isn't your first time seeing him, right?

Stalinism

This book was found in your desk.

This is from long ago

before liberation when I studied in Russia.

It was read by many people.

It was a different time back then.

But it's not like that anymore.

It's not like that now.

I'm most definitely not a communist.

Please believe me.

I know.

Oh, what I mean

is that I've seen many people deny

they're communists.

Communists never admit to being communists.

I really had no choice back then.

I fully understand.

I'll return this book to you.

No matter how hard I try

I just cannot forgive you.

Because of your nasty treachery

we had to make so many sacrifices.

You have no idea. Do you?

Please spare me.

We can't risk having your students

turn into communists.

Hell...

I-I'm not a communist.

I'm not a communist!

I-I am not a communist!

I'm not...

You should've just sat there quietly.

Why did you go get yourself hurt like that?

I don't want to hear your stupid dialect!

What are you waiting for?

What?

Right.

Excuse me.

M-Mr Soldier.

I-I'm not...

a communist.

I'm very...

against them.

I swear.

Oriental Teahouse

It's quite chilly now.

Winter must be coming early this year.

Death comes pretty easily, Mr Moon.

Yes. I was just...

joking.

The fear you face right before death

is crippling, isn't it?

It's neither gallant nor beautiful.

All right.

I'm sorry for interrupting your business.

Is it your job to coerce people

into saying they're communists?

What do you mean, coerce?

I'm lawfully executing my duties based on facts.

That's nonsense.

What did these people do wrong?

The two of you are just as bad.

Watch what you say.

I love the ambience here.

Oriental Teahouse. What a pretty name.

Right. The coffee is awful though.

It's more bitter than medicine.

Who'd want to drink it?

What is it that you want to say?

The puppet army barged in

and took over Seoul in an instant.

Quite a few people stayed behind

because there was no way to evacuate.

That was what the two of you did.

Even through all that chaos

you continued to run your business.

After all, you have to eat and drink

even during war.

We weren't able to evacuate

because of his injured leg.

He was severely tortured at Seodaemun...

That's enough. Stop talking about that.

This place has quite a reputation.

According to some

the puppet military officers

came here often back then.

There must be something that draws them here.

Don't be mistaken.

If you want to call that treason

it's as good as saying everyone in Seoul

back then was treacherous.

You should have turned them away!

Why did you serve

those puppet military officers?

They would've killed me if I didn't.

How do I turn them away?

If you knew how many people had suffered

in the hands of those puppet military officers

who had a good time here

you wouldn't be able to say that.

How could you say that?

Are you saying

that we helped them kill those people?

Madam Jang.

I heard you were quite friendly

with those puppet military officers.

How many times do I have to repeat myself?

If we hadn't done that

they would've killed us.

We had no choice.

Madam Jang. You recognise this, don't you?

What about you, Mr Noh?

Don't you recognise this?

That's odd.

You should be familiar with this.

Do you really not recognise it, Madam Jang?

Well...

Do you really not recognise it?

What is it that you want?

What's your reason for doing this?

Why are you out to get us?

It's better to stay out of this, Mr Jang.

We were only trying to survive.

Was it wrong to struggle to stay alive?

I was already disappointed by your novel.

What was it called again?

Oh yes, The Red Rain.

What kind of a title is that?

Are you trying to turn the whole world

communist with that red rain?

It makes me furious just thinking about it.

Just go and disassemble some cannonballs.

Jang Hyuk, sit down.

I'll let you get away with that one.

Sit down.

Jang Hyuk, please!

Just...

This is why there are more and more communists.

It's going to become a paradise

for communists!

People calling themselves artists

and coming up with all kinds of excuses

to not fight in the war.

I've always despised your lot.

I won't let you ruin our country.

You can already see

what our country is turning into.

People are starving

because there's nothing to eat.

But communists are going around

provoking good people.

Do you want us to go through

that horrible war again?

The same goes for Baek Doo-hwan.

He was a communist to the core!

Why did you give it to her?

Why did you give

that dangerous gun to Yoo-jung?

What were you plotting with Baek Doo-hwan?

How much have they brainwashed you?

Or did you use that pretty face of yours

to have a good time with them?

Did they give you that gun in return?

I saw it with my very own eyes.

What were you plotting with Baek Doo-hwan?

Enough is enough.

Hubby! Please don't kill him! Please!

Don't kill him...

Please... I beg of you.

A North Korean officer

left that gun behind a while ago.

We were just holding on to it.

It's true!

What a flimsy excuse.

Fine. I'll take your word for it.

But why would you

give such a dangerous thing to Yoo-jung?

Well... that's...

That's the problem with communists.

They won't talk unless I play hardball.

No... no!

Stop it!

Please.

I'll tell you everything, so please...

That took you long enough.

But then again, I guess

it takes time to cook up a good excuse.

T-T-That's not true.

I really don't know anything

about communism or treachery.

That's all you could come up with?

That you don't know anything?

It's all a misunderstanding.

Yoo-jung...

Yoo-jung and I were...

from the same hometown.

Baek Doo-hwan too.

Yoo-jung and I were lucky.

We were away studying in France.

Soon after that, the Pacific War broke out.

They dropped the mobilisation order

on our village too.

I came back after liberation

and realised many men were forced to be soldiers

or work in the coal mines.

Baek Doo-hwan was our school teacher.

He took the lead in selling off villagers.

He sent off

his young students to the battlefield.

My brother...

was strapped to a bomb

and sent off on a suicide mission.

He wasn't even 20 years old.

Baek Doo-hwan sent his students to war.

He's living a good life now

after all the vile things he has done.

He ought to pay for what he did.

It's only fair that he pays.

I get what you're saying

but how could a woman

have such terrible thoughts?

Why does it matter that I'm a woman?

That's not the issue here.

Mr Park, talk her out of this.

Well... I tried.

She's too stubborn.

We were out in public.

That was no place to talk.

I was so alarmed.

It's all in the past now.

Everyone has something

they're sad and bitter about.

It's a virtue to bury it in your heart

and move on.

That's the biggest problem here.

This notion that we should move on

just because it's in the past.

In France, those who had supported the Nazis

were severely punished.

Things are different here...

I agree with Yoo-jung.

Hubby.

The man who had tortured me

is a police chief now.

It's a messed up world we live in.

This is not the world we dreamt of.

I understand that

but why does Yoo-jung have to be the one

to right the wrong?

If not me, then who?

Well, I just...

No, I mean...

To be honest, I don't know.

I can't really relate.

That's all.

You coward.

Hey, Yoo-jung.

OK, I get it.

Talk her out of it, hubby.

This is a crime.

We must be level-headed.

I'm sorry.

I can't be level-headed about this.

All right. Do you have a plan?

Why did you want to see me?

Well...

I have something for you.

What is it?

Is this a gun?

Shush.

This was...

left behind by a North Korean officer

a while back.

It's your husband's, isn't it?

Use it for self-defence.

Use it only for emergencies.

I get what you're saying.

I'll think of it as a good luck charm.

I don't know if I'm doing the right thing.

Don't worry.

I'm hungry.

So, you're saying you conspired

to murder Baek Doo-hwan.

I'm sorry.

It was an unspeakable act.

But this doesn't have anything

to do with communism.

It's the truth. Please believe me.

The Investigation Committee

of Anti-national Activists has been disbanded.

What good is it to get rid of

pro-Japanese collaborators now?

I regret... no, I was scared.

It's all my fault.

I shouldn't have given her the gun.

I should've stopped her.

It's all my fault.

This doesn't change the fact that

this is a den for communism.

Communists...

that's what you people are.

I had no idea. I'm sorry.

Please believe me.

You still don't get it?

Both you and Yoo-jung are communists.

You used the past as an excuse

to commit a crime.

That puts this country in danger.

I had no idea...

Do you want to die with the communists?

N-N-No!

Please spare me. Please.

I don't want to die. Please let me live.

The fact is you sided with the enemy.

I don't want to go through

that hellish war ever again.

Stop acting all patriotic.

What are your true intentions?

Intentions? I don't have any.

My job is just to catch the communists

and keep this country safe.

How did Baek Doo-hwan and Yoo-jung really die?

Whatever the truth is, they both wanted it.

It's a pity that Yoo-jung killed herself.

Yoo-jung did not kill herself

nor did she kill Baek Doo-hwan.

If she were to use this...

she had to get it right in one try.

Otherwise, she would be in danger herself.

However...

she never used this gun.

Just as you said

memories can be skewed

but lying outright is a different thing.

I can see the fear in this dirty madness.

While chasing down Baek Doo-hwan

you found out about Yoo-jung and this place.

And you began to watch us.

The wind sneers at me

toying with me.

I'm ashamed that

I cannot break my own stem.

Why did you have to kill Baek Doo-hwan?

You were after the draft he was working on.

The truth he wanted to tell.

You wanted to get rid of it all.

Not just Baek Doo-hwan

but the truth about your past as well.

Hello. I heard you're a poet.

I'm Jang Hyuk.

I write novels.

There are other littérateurs with me.

If you don't mind, would you...

All right. Perhaps next time.

The truth about Baek Doo-hwan

sending his young students to war...

and the truth about you.

Summer of 1944

Deceased

You were wondering how to cover it up

so you decided to

accuse us of being communists.

You're just like the Japanese.

You must've arrested a lot of

independence fighters.

I can't deny that.

Who knew this country would be liberated?

This is all to protect this country

from another hellish war.

It's all for the best of our future.

Since when did you protect the country?

You only want to protect your dirty past.

You were born in 1910

in Haeju of Hwanghae Province.

You started selling drinks

to the Japanese in Honmachi in 1935

and made a fortune doing so.

The funds went to the provisional government

and helped the Liberation Army.

After the liberation

you were passionately involved in

the Special Investigation Committee

of Anti-national Activists.

Unfortunately, the venture

proved to be a disappointment

as it fell apart in 1949.

You went into hiding like a coward

selling your disgusting coffee.

Don't be surprised.

This is what I do.

Many people were greatly inconvenienced

because of you.

Now that the country is a complete mess

I guess you suddenly want to protect it.

Of course!

I'm just full of patriotism right now!

It's a crooked kind of patriotism

with no justice.

That patriotism keeps us strong.

Think carefully about who ended the war

allowing you to enjoy

all this peace and freedom.

You can't even face history

with your head held high.

What kind of patriotism is that?

The true patriots are turning in their graves.

You filthy wench!

I've seen so many schmucks like you.

You try to be patriotic...

when you don't even have a country.

You can only be patriotic

if you have a country.

Patriotism begins now.

I am the true patriot!

I'm sorry. Forgive me. Please spare me.

Spare me. Don't kill me.

Please don't kill me...

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry...

I'm sorry...

I'm sorry.

Members of a large underground

spy organisation were killed at a teahouse

in Seoul after a shoot-out

with the Special Ops Unit.

One of the most wanted spies

by the name of Baek Doo-hwan

from the North Korean puppet regime

and 10 others who were active in the Seoul area

ran a teahouse to hold underground

anti-government and anti-American practices

with young students and artists.

Park In-seong, a key member

of the underground spy organisation

turned himself in

claiming he was disillusioned by

the inhumane espionage.

It was further revealed

that he blew the whistle on the organisation.

We must keep in mind that

the North Korean puppet regime is targeting us

and we must take measures

to protect ourselves from the spies.

Press Release

Members of the Underground Spy Organisation

Noh Seok-hyun (44)

Jang Seon-hwa (37)

Choi Yoo-jung (22)

What if things don't go according to plan?

If we worry so much

we'll never get anything done.

I'll call you once it's over.

Do you have to do this?

What if you got caught?

You'll be putting the rest of us in danger...

You can't accomplish anything

without taking risks.

I was just...

I'm envious of Yoo-jung

for having such faith.

Don't be so hard on yourself

for not having faith.

We all have different timings in life

and the same goes for our belief and purpose.

If you're afraid

and you want to live

build your faith in it.

If we give up on seeking justice

out of ignorance

they will always see us

as dogs and pigs.